Friday, September 14, 2012

What It Is That I Do

Since I 'retired' about 12 years ago, when asked what I do, I often reply that I 'take care of my husband'. A short quip that seems to suffice in most situations. But this week I was thinking about what DO I do that seems to take up so much time. I came up with three pretty obvious things.
First I plan, shop, prepare and clean up meals. Fortunately, this is something I enjoy, especially baking. But as our eating has evolved to more basic food stuffs (away from prepared items) it takes more time, especially as the insurance man is home for lunch most days. It also involves vegetable gardening, and at this time of year caring for the produce.
Second I take care of the laundry. It is much easier these days with generally only the two of us, plus the household items. But again, there is more there than meets the eye. It involves shopping for replacement items, seasonally cleaning and rearranging, sewing and ironing. I used to hate ironing (it was my worst idea of housekeeping) but again these days I enjoy the slow pace of it.
Thirdly, I have taken over all the care of the finances. The insurance man did it for years, but I realized that he had enough on his plate to take care of his business finances. It's amazing how much time it takes, to do a good job of planning and executing in this dept. It also takes me longer because I'm not good at it! I am a writer, creator, and good at spelling and grammar. NOT good at math. However, I've seen the fruits of this as it has been a burden lifted from my good husband's shoulders.
I have other responsibilities of course, (like cleaning) but these are the main three that take most of my time. It is just life, and I am trying to slow down the pace of our lives. That means maybe not being perfect at the three items listed above. And including more 'fun' things into my schedule. And what do I do for fun?

Arrange flowers of course!

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