Today
was cleaning lady day. It's the one luxury we allow ourselves. In fact, if I have to beg in the street to pay my cleaning lady I will do it.
It's that good.
Years ago, we were both working long hours, and there just never was enough time
to squeeze in all the other things we had to do. (We still are and
there still isn't.) And there was certainly no time left for the
joy that is cleaning. The tension that resulted from not being able
to keep up was just too stressful. So, about 16 years ago we decided
to try hiring someone to clean our house once every couple of weeks.
Maria came to us through a friend. Originally she worked for her cousin who ran
a string of cleaning ladies. But she eventually wanted to be independent
and asked if we would keep using her, which we did. At that time her
husband and children were still in Poland and she was working to try
to bring them all to America; which she did. Eventually, she turned
the job of cleaning over to one of her daughters, Margaret, who still
cleans for us today.
All I
have to say is this, forget therapy, get a cleaning lady it will change
your life. There are no guarantees with therapy, but I guarantee having
a cleaning lady will work to make your relationship much happier.
Of course,
we do have to clean up for the cleaning lady the night before so that
we get the maximum mileage out of the time she spends here, but it's
a small sacrifice, and now that the kids are gone it's much easier.
We pay
a reasonable wage for the time spent so we don't feel guilty about exploitation,
and at Christmas we give her a bonus.
I love
coming home to a clean house and the lovely smell of precious cleaning
lady fluids, and today there were bonus chocolates,too-- a little gift
from her .
Life is
good!