Spring cleaning

I hope I’m not speaking to soon but spring finally seems to have arrived! Last year, living in the southern hemisphere, I would have complained about winter temperatures below 18 degrees and gone into hibernation. Living in the northern hemisphere this year, at a very mild 15 degrees it feels like summer is just around the corner and I have an urge to ditch the coats and jerseys.

So,with the weather turning I decided to do some spring cleaning. Last year, we had the luxury of a housekeeper and I didn’t give any thought to the physicality of the tasks that needed doing. May I add that my housekeeper was also the nanny to my son who was just over a year and very much mobile!

This year, my son is about to turn 2. This means he is not only mobile but extremely good at it and he is also a novice stunt artist. Jumping, climbing, racing around corners and using the wooden rolling pin as a cricket bat.  All this apart from his other identity: Dinosaur. “Roooaaaarrrr!” 

Anyway, so my day of spring cleaning became two days because of the little T-Rex running around. I started thinking about all the housekeepers out there. Wow, they are really amazing. And yes, they do annoy us sometimes when things aren't done our way but I now feel that anyone who has to clean up after someone else’s mess has to be shown a generous amount of respect. Yes, they are being paid for it, but it’s not glamorous and honestly, it’s no-one’s first choice as a career. 

It also got me thinking about my mom and how she seemed to be able to do everything. She juggled her career and family life amazingly. She made and still makes everything she does look effortless. She always looked pretty, was always on top of everything, never complained about anything and was happy. I hope she’ll share her secret with me someday. 

I sometimes look rather scary, feel like there’s always something to do or that I’ve forgotten to do and I moan quite a bit. I think it has something to do with my personality...

Or perhaps it has to do with the generation I grew up in. In my mom’s generation, she had the freedom to work but being a wife and mother was natural and a priority. These days, a woman can choose whatever path in life she wishes to follow but there seems to be an imbalance. It seems like something has to give. The idea that a woman can be everything and do it all can be overwhelming when it clashes with women’s traditional roles.

So, for those women who clean our homes and look after our children,I applaud you because it must take a lot to put in the effort and care when it’s not your home you’re cleaning or your children you’re seeing to.

And for those women who do it all themselves, for those who juggle careers and family life, I salute you because it is a full time job and a delicate balancing act.

To the men in our lives, your contributions are unique and meaningful and just as important. I’m sure you have your own concerns and issues that women don’t think about.

If I may take a guess, I think my mom’s secret may be to choose to do the things that make us happy, fulfil us and to be content with our choice and most importantly to trust our choices.  

Quite a universal approach to our lives.