One obvious thing about being a single
guy is that my idea of a “clean” home vs. that of a married
female can be pretty different. Then again, I've been inside some
married's home and thought to myself, “Gee, my home ain't too bad
when compared to this rat's nest.” But overall when it comes to
getting a Good House Keeping Seal for neatness, I fail. Then again,
I'm a single guy, I can get away with anything! Did you know that you
can use your floor as a shelf?
Cleaning a home is boring
as hell. There's one reason why I hate it. So as I do it, my mind can
devote the “duh-duh” part to the task at hand and I can think of
other more entertaining things. Like you, my head does stream of
consciousness, it jumps from one subject to another. What came up
was a conversation I had in Mansfield a few years back.
M.says to me, “Yeah, I work a lot and
they're early hours, but it's for her”. I then
say that I understand, that I go out of my way taking care of the dog
I have.
“NO! It's NOT the same!” he fires
back.
Yeah, he just busted me in a
conversation trick we all do to keep on the same wavelength as the
other, you agree and claim you understand fully what the other is
saying, even if you have zero amount of experience with what he's
talking about. You fire off a cheap, white lie to keep the
connection.
He was right. I then said, “Yeah,
it's true, if my dog were to cost me over $1,000 to save his life,
out comes the needle! You M, would blow your entire fortune and
retirement on her if she was in that situation. What do I know about
that kind of attachment to children?”
We're stuck in our own perspectives
99.99% of the time. Even if we can manage to step into the other
guys's shoes and walk a mile, it's a rare occurrence as the
automatic, default state of our minds is ME ME ME. I do not
disqualify myself from this at all.
Which is why I can stand there
sometimes and watch, in amazement, husbands work a zillion hours a
week and barely have enough time for themselves. Of course, at that
moment, I'm thinking from the ME perspective. “Put out that kind of
effort for what?” I think. Then I have to think
of the time s I did devote that kind of attention to others. Instead
of giving a kid a shot at a decent future, I fought like a cat to
keep three family members from slipping over the cliff due to various
terminal diseases. In that light, I guess I can understand that
dedication, though it was for a losing cause.
So, when I see you parents out there
clawing your fingernails bloody trying to get ahead, I have to remind
myself why it's done.
No kids and I can do this. If I get more motivation I can get that aquarium into the shed and possibly get that wool battle jacket off the banister. That thing near the ceiling is a skyline diffuser...No wife would allow me to disfigure the living room with such ugliness, but I have to break up standing waves. The stereo is paramount!
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