A ‘Dear Housework’ Letter

by Nim Gholkar

Dear Housework,

I start with a lie, because as both you and I know,  there is nothing ‘dear’ about you.

It has been said that you are seldom noticed unless you have not been dealt with (Read that as being: ‘housework is seldom noticed unless it is not done’). Never a truer word has been said. On the days that i have slaved all day, dusted and mopped, tidied up and scrubbed, no one seems to recognise your presence around us. I can see you silently mocking me, as all my efforts go unnoticed and definitely unappreciated. While no one else may notice you, I know exactly where you are. You are in the 8 gleaming dining chairs that i polished relentlessly this morning; you are in the bath tub that glistens after having been subjected to my cleaning frenzy; you are in the spotless kitchen sink which only a few hours ago, was groaning under the weight of the breakfast dishes; you are in the neatly tiered clothes within the  wardrobes..the very same clothes that had lain higgledy-piggledy in the basket after having been taken off the clothes line in the backyard; you are in the elaborate meal spread out on the dinner table, which only a few hours ago was a confusing mix of vegetables yet to be chopped, pastes yet to be ground and garnishing yet to be prepared; you are in the fresh-smelling pillow cases, the cobweb-free ceilings, the neatly aligned shoe stand, the gleaming and smudge-free window panes….You are in the painstakingly scrubbed oven that only a short while ago was grubby from all the baking and grilling indulged in over the weekend; you are in the well-made beds that looked hurricane-hit not long ago; you are in the well-stocked fridge that empties faster than one can blink; you are in the glistening microwave that is now crumbs-free, and the low-humming dishwasher that is briskly dealing with the dinner time dishes….

You are wherever  i look, and yet, no one in the house but me notices you.

When i wake up in the morning, you are the first thing that comes to my mind. My day revolves around you, and as evening approaches, i finally collapse exhausted in one of the many chairs i had dusted a few hours ago.

Although no one else might have guessed your presence around the house, I hope you recognise that I have done you full justice!

‘Dear’ you may not be, but ‘demanding’ you certainly are.

Isn’t it strange that on the days i have dealt with your every demand, nothing is said. And yet, on days when i have chosen to ignore you, i get asked ‘What did you do all day?’

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