STLWorkingMom

My mother sends me handwritten notecards in the mail. Sometimes there’s a clipping from the newspaper included. Lately, she’s added one cryptic line, “Have you gotten any help, yet?”

Someone else, reading that might think of psychiatric help. Or maybe she means additional staff support for the one-person Charlottesville office of Standing Partnership. But no, I know that’s not what she means.

When we talk on the phone, inevitably the same question comes up. “Have you gotten any help?” and what she means is this: a person or team to clean the house, someone to help me stay ahead of the mess, to keep our surroundings at a certain level, so I don’t get overwhelmed and fall apart. She’s right, of course. I’ve needed help. I just can’t spend the time when I’m not working, cooking, taking care of my family and doing laundry to adequately keep up with keeping my house clean. It means sacrificing volunteer work, writing, reading and, frankly, the relaxation I need to re-energize for the week to come. I’ve spent many weekends trying to cram just a bit of cleaning into the gaps between doing the shopping and the mountain of laundry. I just don’t have it in me to get it all done.

So today, Gail comes to clean my house. She comes with the perfect reference from my friend, the Late Bloomer Bride who came to my rescue when I finally Twittered my cry for cleaning help.

Mom, I’m getting help. Just thought you’d like to know.