God Bless This Mess
((Disclosure: The following may cause you to take pride in being messy.))
I was having an after dinner drink with a girlfriend of mine who lives just a few doors down and something she said during the coarse of our conversation jumped up and grabbed hold of me.
In the way of background, my girlfriend used to travel abroad for her husband's career, and while it may have been difficult at times, it's no secret that she misses the extremely simple lifestyle that Sweden had to offer. When she met a family joining the neighborhood from Italy, she felt she may have the ability to lend a hand. Apparently, this couple and their three girls had been uprooted and transferred here due to daddy's job. Mom hardly knows a soul. While her husband goes to the office each day, she faces a multitude of decisions ranging from her childrens' schooling to town navigation.
After they got to know each other a bit, my girlfriend was invited for coffee. She packed up her two little boys and strolled over. She said it was the most refreshing pot of coffee she ever had the pleasure of sharing. There were no scones, no fancy creams and no pretenses. She walked into what she felt was the most messy room of the house. They plopped down amidst the dolls, books and crayons. Plastic teacups and musical instruments as far as the eye could see. The boys joined the girls and for once, my girlfriend didn't feel the need to rush after her one-year old to tidy up. The kids played, the moms talked and, what else? ...drank coffee.
We so often force ourselves to go to the extreme for guests. We cook, we bake, we clean and we scrub. What a facade to think that all of this fussing is going to make them feel more at home. Let's be honest, they probably have quite a mess waiting for them back at the house. While I'm not going to completely shirk my chores from here on out, you can bet I am going to help you, my friend, feel more at home.
I was having an after dinner drink with a girlfriend of mine who lives just a few doors down and something she said during the coarse of our conversation jumped up and grabbed hold of me.
In the way of background, my girlfriend used to travel abroad for her husband's career, and while it may have been difficult at times, it's no secret that she misses the extremely simple lifestyle that Sweden had to offer. When she met a family joining the neighborhood from Italy, she felt she may have the ability to lend a hand. Apparently, this couple and their three girls had been uprooted and transferred here due to daddy's job. Mom hardly knows a soul. While her husband goes to the office each day, she faces a multitude of decisions ranging from her childrens' schooling to town navigation.
After they got to know each other a bit, my girlfriend was invited for coffee. She packed up her two little boys and strolled over. She said it was the most refreshing pot of coffee she ever had the pleasure of sharing. There were no scones, no fancy creams and no pretenses. She walked into what she felt was the most messy room of the house. They plopped down amidst the dolls, books and crayons. Plastic teacups and musical instruments as far as the eye could see. The boys joined the girls and for once, my girlfriend didn't feel the need to rush after her one-year old to tidy up. The kids played, the moms talked and, what else? ...drank coffee.
We so often force ourselves to go to the extreme for guests. We cook, we bake, we clean and we scrub. What a facade to think that all of this fussing is going to make them feel more at home. Let's be honest, they probably have quite a mess waiting for them back at the house. While I'm not going to completely shirk my chores from here on out, you can bet I am going to help you, my friend, feel more at home.
posted by Felecia at Tuesday, May 17, 2005
2 Comments:
Amen, Felecia! I always feel SOO guilty when people pop over and my house is messy. But I refuse to feel that way any longer. The truth is I am not a neat nick. While my house is not dirty, it is fairly messy. but why disguise who we really are so other people will think better of us??? Sorry, didn't mean to ramble! Thanks for that, I needed it today!
Anytime, Mandi! I think the more people who share in our philosophy, the more at ease we will all feel with one another. I would rather focus on what my friend, neighbor or relative is saying instead of that pile of newspapers they had to step over to get to the kitchen:)
Post a Comment
<< Home