In eight days, I can unofficially begin working half-time. Between now and then, I have only two “hard” days of work left. For all intents and purposes, I am pretty much “there.”
So, what is there?
Well, if you ask me to describe what I do, I can finally change the answer. What I “do” is no longer professionally oriented for me. Instead, I am a homemaker who works part-time. After 31 years of defining myself as a professional and as that somewhat rare breed of a woman CEO, this new description fills me with incredible joy. As much as I loved that part of me that was a savvy, hardworking and driven professional, I am loving the new “me” just as much. This isn’t a political statement, by the way. It’s a mere statement of fact. I’m glad I did what I did, but I’m just as glad that I can do what I am about to do.
Being a homemaker to me is going to be incredibly rewarding. I see glimpses of it today, when I am able to practice homemaking around my busy professional life. But starting next Thursday evening? I am genuinely looking forward to practicing it full-time.
There is so much about homemaking that I love. If you’ve read this blog, there is my clothesline and my fall canning schedule. Each of those bring to my life a simple, rewarding zen whose glow lasts for hours and days. It is that simple act of doing and providing – with my own two hands and the old-fashioned way – that makes me happiest. I love the act of hanging clothes and how wonderful they smell when pulled off the clothesline and folded. Even more, extracting jars out of the water bath and leaving them to cool, is incredibly satisfying. The familiar “pop” of the lid as the jar seals is like applause from Mother Nature.
But there are other aspects of homemaking that I am also looking forward to that I don’t get to practice as often. My mom’s house was almost sterile, it was always so clean. Regardless, you felt comfortable coming in and lounging on her couch with your feet up on the coffee table. My house can get, ahem, askew sometimes. It happens (and it’s happening now). I am looking forward to the long-term organization of everything getting into its place and going back there, once used.
I also love to cook and to make good meals from scratch. Sometimes when work gets too crazy, I have to phone it in and we don’t have the best of meals. This week, I’ve been able to practice good, healthy meals. I am looking forward to making good meals the norm instead of the exception.
As part of the deal for me to go half-time, I offered to take over lawn care from my husband. Since he is working full-time, I didn’t want to see him spending his entire Saturday mowing the grass and trimming. He still has to trim by the ditch – I’m afraid of garter snakes – but the rest is on me. I am looking forward to the zen of riding on the lawn mower and making the lawn look nice.
And then there is the home improvement. Despite all of our projects right now, the home improvement train is winding down. We do need to finish the bathroom, install our shiplap ceilings in two rooms and install the floors upstairs. We also need to put baseboard trim in the entire house. But then? Well, the house is largely done with the exception of the back deck and the main bathroom. The main bathroom may be a contractor project and the back deck will be a project that we will get to, eventually.
However, after the home improvement comes one of my favorite parts – the decorating. At this point, my downstairs is everything I could or would ever want. I really don’t need to do anything down here. The renovations gave me the open concept I was waiting on and allowed me to use my dining room – and its capacity to seat 12 – exactly as I have always wanted. I have no need for anything more.
Upstairs, the bathroom will need a few touches when finished but that’s just towels, rugs and a basket. The bigger project – or should I say purchase – will be the custom king-sized bed frame with drawer storage underneath. That will eliminate some of our storage needs and get us to a place where the bedroom and closet are no longer dumping grounds for extra clothes.
All in all, there is just so much to look forward to as a homemaker. I want to be a better wife, partner and friend. A better sister and aunt. A better kitty momma. I want to make time and capacity for us to enjoy our weekends because the housework – including lawn care – got done during the week. I want our home and our lives to stay on a slow, even keel so that our world becomes less about rushing to achieve a level of normalcy and instead about having the time – finally – to explore leisurely pursuits.
Darryl and I had a saying before we got married. Every time we were so rushed and trying to get things done, we would look at each other and say, “Things will slow down after the wedding.” In one month and 10 days, it will be eight years since we got married. By the time our anniversary rolls around, I want things to genuinely have slowed down.
That’s what being a homemaker means to me. It’s about life… uninterrupted.
The Yuppie Homesteader 