Funny thing, I told Herk. Housekeeping, I mean. How so?
When I was a kid, I could seldom get it good enough to please Mama; lot of chores done twice.
Herkimer chuckled.
But I got pretty good at it, and now I am thinking, I said, how much things change.
Herkimer, quizzically, Really?
Yeah, I explained, for years meeting Mama's standard in my own home was the goal. You know, perfection. But as I got older, things changed. Now I am at a point where "good enough" is good enough. At the rate I am going, the day will come when "not at all" is good enough.
Herkie laughed. I was just remembering, he remarked, the early times in my married life.
Do tell, I encouraged.
Well, he said, Tildy and I had been married maybe two, three weeks. I remarked to her that the house looked like she needed to dust.
Dust? she asked, in all seriousness. What's "dust"?
From Bob Warr and Picket Fences
with Bob's permission.
Why do I remember this with a different punch line?
ReplyDeleteGrace, I have used the story in one form or another for more than thirty years, but the punchline has always been the same because it is based on a true family incident.
ReplyDeleteI used to strive for Mom's standard and never left on vacation without a spotless house - or at least as spotless as I could achieve. It took me a few years to figure out how to walk out and lock the door without leaving a neat house behind.
ReplyDeleteVee, priorities change as we mature.
ReplyDelete