I had a night away with my husband recently. We have young children and both of us work. It was the first night we have had away for 2 years. The last time had been memorable – a pregnancy test showed that number three – unplanned – was on the way. That put a dampener on extra-curricula activities, for sure.
So there we were, in a cosey b&b in one of Australia’s beautiful wine districts. Every moment was precious. My husband dozed on the bed in the afternoon sun – enjoying well-deserved respite from the constancy of life with a young and energetic family. I glanced over at him from the bathroom sink – where I stood nail brush in one hand, wash bag in the other – its contents strewn around the vanity unit. Would you believe it, I found myself using our stolen moments in paradise to clean out my make up bag, to get out all those bits of smudged lipstick and face powder that had congealed into the corners?
How does it work that he could rest and I had to find something to clean? Don’t get me wrong. I am not a cleaning-freak. I have a suitably scruffy house, and with appropriately dusty corners. It’s not a need to clean – but with a young family and a small business I think I have forgotten how to sit still. Like so many women (I hope I am not alone) a moment of peace has become a moment of opportunity to knock something off the list that swirls constantly around in my head. True, the grimey corners of my make up bag had never actually been on any list – but since I found myself alone with it in a hotel bathroom with running water and a complementary nail set – well the opportunity seemed too good to miss.
I got on with the job quietly, careful not to wake my sleeping partner – knowing he would not understand the satisfaction of ticking off another small task done – another idle moment turned into busy productivity.
Posted by Kirsten Lees at 9:44 PM 1 comments
Friday, September 15, 2006
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