A Little Bit of Give (and Less Take) Goes a Long Way

Household chores all the bores,

Choicest places tickle the spaces,

Still the laws about all those chores,

Appear to sadden faces beyond our graces.

Household tasks – I tell you – the masks,

Couples put on in search of escape,

Evidence of marks compels us to parks,

And sparks become the ruffled nape.

Household jobs – those with knobs,

Carried out with haste and scorn,

Around and round each soul robs,

In friendship’s the chance to fawn.

Household roles all but cajoles,

Each person to present their best,

Instead one strolls over the other souls,

And remains what is considerably less blessed.

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What couple going around doesn’t occasionally equivocate about household chores? Beyond traditional gender roles and the assignment of responsibilities we have our self-serving biases.

Stereotypes do little for the harmony of either person, or the relationship itself. Yet, the tasks must still be completed—it is hoped, to the satisfaction of both.

What is just so fundamental about the harmony of a household is lost on us as we clamour for the right to ourselves and what we’d prefer to be doing.

We’ve all tried to outdo ourselves, it’s suspected, to satisfy our partners. It’s the flailing consistency that breaks us. Then there are those who remind us of the classic biblical sluggard—that person too lazy to return the dish-loaded hand to the mouth to feed itself.

Unique spouses are a promise; no two people are that alike. Each partner who’s party to the relationship in question has their strengths and weaknesses. Part of the answer is in acceptance of the other, and the other part is in giving despite what’s not being returned.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.