by Mona Yasir

Created on: January 14, 2009   Last Updated: January 25, 2009

I don't know what all the complaining is about. Except for the fact that it must be one of the most unappreciated occupations known to man, and I feel I must stress the MAN part here since very little of the job is known to them, at least not in our house. Nevertheless, housework is a noble and satisfying profession, albeit a sometimes monotonous and disregarded one. But say what you will, there is nothing as gratifying as making your living space into a livable space. What can give you a greater sense of pride than a splattered, greasy, cheese-stained stove that you have single-handedly brought back from the brink of demolition? And there is nothing as spiritually satisfying as retrieving every pair of matching socks from the washing machine that you put in there to begin with. How would it be if everyone in the house found wrinkled clothes in their wardrobes or had to eat their meals out of a box heated in the microwave? Surely the world would come to an abrupt and misfortunate end if all the dust bunnies were allowed to roam free in their natural habitat.

Housework, my friends, has become the joy of my life. It's one of those unavoidable truths of human existence, like wrinkles or grey hair, and all of us at some point in our lives have to do some housework. Now, I know there are many, many people in the world who can just as easily pay someone else to remove this tedious and abhorrent task from their lives, and I have been known to dabble in the occasional hiring of housekeeping, but I ask you, how can you really appreciate your home and the money you've spent on it until you get down on those well-moisturized knees, plastic gloves and toilet brush in hand, to scrub scrub scrub away those nasty old pooh stains from the toilet bowl. You can't, can you?

So I put it to you, my fellow cleanliness freaks, that it is our sacred and unofficial duty to smite dirt wherever it may be found and to sort with fury the disorganization of household articles. If not for the sake of world peace, then do it because it feels good. And it really does feel good, if you can ignore the demeaning and monotonous grind of household chores. Look at it not as a waste of life, but as a shining star earned for your place in heaven. While you're busy mindlessly brushing away the cobwebs from every nook and cranny, you are simultaneously brushing the cobwebs from your mind, eventually reaching that place of Zen and serenity that is somewhere to be found amongst the dirty dishes.

Yes, it is a thankless and never-ending task. True, no matter how much you clean, sort, wash, mend, cook there is still more to do. No, you never get any appreciation or recognition for a job well-done. But just look how nice your house is, and you deserve to feel good about it, no matter how big or small, how expensive or modest, you have made a collection of rooms into a home, and that's all anyone can ask of you. We are, after all, home-makers, and without our passion and our zeal, the world would indeed come to an end, or at least a couple of extra wars would break out somewhere, probably between men and women. And we all know how that would turn out, don't we?

Learn more about this author, Mona Yasir.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.