Chores, bores.

Jan. 4/13

Daily resolution: Stop making chores a chore.
Let's face it; nobody likes chores. As a kid I might have assumed my parents loved them, because they did them all the time, but when I saw their delighted expressions when I was old enough to be appointed tasks, I quickly realized they weren't as delighted at my job well done as they were relieved to be rid of the chore. And even though my brother, Liam, and I shared the duty of doing dishes - and we made it as fun as possibly by singing 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' and building castles with the dishes piled on top of each other - this task seemed to take a lot out of me and it wasn't long before I learnt the "It has to soak" trick. But I'm a grown-up now, complete with my own adult responsibilities, and I can't pull off the soaking trick for too long before all my dishes are crammed into a sink of dissolved bubbles and cold water and I have fifteen minutes to scour through the tight pile of pots and pans, wash my dish with all the rest of them crowding around the tap, and make breakfast before flying out the door. Do you have any idea how close I've been to missing my bus in the morning, on multiple occasions, because of my allergy to chores? Well, it has to stop. It's a source of contention in my life and I bring it on myself.

I made the change this afternoon. I cranked up my itunes, sang along with The Zolas at the top of my lungs, danced on the spot, and scrubbed dishes. I wasn't doing anything different; this was my usual routine when cleaning, but this time I approached it with a new perspective. These days, with the exception of listening to my ipod en route to work or school, the only time I listen to music is when I'm performing an otherwise dull and mundane task. I find it hard to just sit and listen to music, with no other preoccupation or obligation. I might be in trouble for admitting that; other music lovers might be shaking their heads at me, but I can't sit still when listening to music. In order to enjoy music, I need to move. Washing dishes, then, is really an incredible way to experience a song. The rhythm of each scrub of cloth on a teflon frying pan matches perfectly the drumbeat in "Houdini." Later, when I was sweeping, I was really dancing, and the broom was the perfect partner, albeit a bit skinny and rigid. And laundry, well, laundry's even more of a chore for me because I take my clothes to a laundromat. I used to trudge up the steepest hill in Victoria with my laundry bag slung across my shoulder, constantly shifting and adjusting so the strap didn't dig into the same spot on my shoulder for too long. Laundry shifted from a chore I begrudged to a joy when I had the epiphany of all epiphanies: bring the clothes in a suitcase! So simple, right? But it took me four months to dawn on it. Now, today, instead of a chore, I was granted the gift of a leisurely stroll through my neighbourhood. It's amazing how much fun you can have when you stop brooding about your problems and start looking for solutions.

hap·pi·ness

 

1. Receiving mail that isn't bills. Last year's Christmas gift from Nadia, "How to Train Your Dragon," awaited me in the mailbox. Must have been lost in transit or something :P

2. Calling Edulinx, getting straight through to a real, live person, and being done the entire phone call in under ten minutes.

3. A resentment-free clean house.

4. The smell of rain in the air.

5. Payday! Not to be materialistic or anything, but it's always a nice feeling knowing you can pay rent and feed yourself for another month.