A visit with my oldest daughter is never complete without occasional moments of quiet time energized by a mad rush to complete a neglected household chore. With two active little girls keeping everyone busy, those mundane tasks often take a back burner.
One dreary Sunday afternoon a golden moment occurred. The three-year old granddaughter was outside with her dad, bundled in her winter coat and gloves, helping her him plant spring flowers by the mailbox. The one-year old had settled in for her afternoon nap.
And when the calm had taken hold, my daughter, without warning, jumped to action, pulling out the Windex and a roll of paper towels. “I hate to do this to you every time you come over to visit, mom, but let’s get the inside of the downstairs windows and blinds cleaned while we have the chance…” (Very apologetic tone of voice, knowing that I had just finished doing the very same task in my own home only days before…”)
So we shared the Windex bottle and took paper towels as needed, working beside each other while enjoying a lovely conversation as we quickly tried to make the windows sparkle. 🙂
About the time we finished the chore the older child came inside and the baby woke from her nap. Success! Big sister had fun outside. Little sister was well-rested. And mom and Nana got the windows and blinds cleaned for spring. Mission accomplished!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI4zp7yeuMU
Back at home now, I find myself energized to do chores as well, reflecting on how much more fun it is to do those dreaded and boring tasks with another. That shared time and task with my daughter reminded me of important lessons my parents taught me and my siblings and I tried to teach my own daughters. It felt good to be reminded that we all still had the capacity to work as a team and tackle getting household chores done quickly and with joy. Doing that stuff alone is not terribly fun, but when shared with others less time is spent, resentment and dread doesn’t build, and relationships grow stronger.
I am glad that my daughter and her family come to visit this weekend. I wonder what chores I can entice them to help me with??? Teamwork does create energy! I am on a roll!