My husband never does the laundry. Ever. Then why am I writing this post for Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad #ShareTheLaundry movement? one might ask.
I have never considered doing the laundry as a “load”, really. I mean, it takes hardly a minute or two, right?
Just dump the clothes in the washing machine, add the detergent, press the ‘START’ button, and, TADA! your work is done!
Putting the clothes out to dry takes about 5 minutes. So, where IS the load?
Our washing machine and detergent manufacturers have indeed made our lives so much easier and relaxed.
The real load for me? Cooking.
Ugh! Just typing the word is exhausting.
Every morning, when the time comes to cook breakfast and lunch, I hear my body groan in protest. “Do I have to enter the kitchen?” it grumbles.
Meal planning for the day, prepping, cooking, and then clearing the platform – that’s the real load for me. For some, it is an exercise in mindfulness; for me, it’s a task I rush to get over with.
Before the lockdown, life was simpler.
I would finish the cooking by 9 every morning and it took less than an hour. Hubby would leave for work and I would have all the time on my hands to write, read and create my favourite mandala designs.
But when the lockdown was announced, I visualised my well-planned schedule flying out of the window.
With hubby home, I would have to make multiple trips to that dreaded area (the kitchen). There would be that much of cutting, chopping, cooking and clearing to do, followed by extra time spent in front of the sink with heaps of dirty dishes.
When would I blog? When would I draw?
The impending doom sucked the life out of me and I could see my blogging taking a back seat, as also my art.
How would I survive?
And, that’s when stepped in my knight in shining armour: hubby dearest.
The day our PM announced the first lockdown, my man rushed straight from work to the supermarket to shop for groceries that would last us a month.
When he returned home with bags full of provisions, veggies, fruits et al, I felt I had reached heaven.
It does sound dramatic, but seriously, it felt like Santa arriving on Christmas Eve, with bags full of everything we would need, and some more!
That was the first load off me.
Next, he announced that he would take over the kitchen. This meant, meal planning for the day, every day, looking up recipes that did not need a whole lot of ingredients, and preparing those recipes would be his responsibility.
All I was supposed to do was clean the house and do the dishes. That’s all. And sometimes prepare chapati, or roll out the puris. But that’s it. That was doable.
Can you imagine how big a relief that was for me?
My work would be over by 8 every morning, after which I would just make some easy-peasy breakfast for us. After that I would retire to my room to write or blog, and hubby would take over the kitchen.
He would call me once lunch was done and we would enjoy the sumptuous meal he had prepared.
Mind you, hubby is a fabulous cook–I have learned a lot just by watching him in action.
So, every meal he made was simply superb.
There were times when I would be lost in my writing and he would quietly do the dishes as well.
What a pleasant surprise it would be for me when I entered the kitchen on such days to find the dishes all clean and sparkling, and the sink devoid of a single utensil.
Now, if that isn’t sharing the load, I don’t know what is!
The two and a half months of lockdown showed me a whole new side of hubby–the man I have been living with for more than 22 years.
#ShareChoresMultiplyLove is the hashtag I would love to use to describe our life these past months, with every bit of the sharing done with such love, patience and dedication, I feel fortunate.
I am BLESSED, indeed, to have a guy by my side who never thinks it’s beneath his dignity to share the load at home, or perform the so-called womanly duties and responsibilities.
All I can wish for is, may his tribe increase!
How we would love to see more men announce – I will #ShareTheLoad and help in household chores in association with Ariel India and BlogAdda‘
That’s great! Glad your husband took initiative to share your load! Definitely not to be underestimated! ❤😁
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No, not to be underestimated, at all!
I am grateful he helped, Halin, else all my blogging plans would have failed big time.
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Hey Shilpa, love you to the moons and back. Meal planning is seriously a task that irritates me to the worst. But then I tell myself that when things can’t reverse on your click then better accept and start doing.
Sharing the load with my husband reminds of many small cute things we have done together but never cooking!!! He would go on fast rather than cooking for us. ssshhhh….he should not listen.
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Haha!
Geethica, maybe if you leave your hubby cute notes, reminding him about the things you did together, he would get down to cooking too! You never know 😛
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Fingers crossed
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That’s so nice, Shilpa. It’s always better when we stick to what we like to do. In our house we always have a huge pile of clothes waiting to be washed and another pile to fold and put away. My husband helps me in all chores if I give him instructions. He likes to cook more than me – that’s his latest revelation. But if I wait for him to cook then we will be starving for days, because his work never gets over. But with proper reminders he shares the load be it cooking, cleaning or putting clothes in the washer.
I’m envious of your clean sink, Shilpa. My husband does dishes only when I’m not well or if I complain relentlessly. Your husband is a darling! 🙂
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That is a good thing, right, VIni? If gentle reminders to your hubby will ensure meals on time, then you are lucky, too! ;P
Hubby too does dishes when I am exhausted after the sweeping and cleaning as my back suffers badly, as well as on occasions when I grumble about the dishes.
Yes, hubby is a real darling and I couldn’t be grateful enough! 🙂
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Hope this becomes a norm all around.
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Yes, let’s hope so. 🙂
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Aw.. that’s just the cutest. I’ll echo your ending thought – may his tribe increase. The lockdown has shown such different sides of our family members – sides we never knew existed. I’m with you on the cooking, not the cooking per se but the whole meal planning business. With my teens and a diabetic husband and me trying to cut out oil and sugar – cooking is a crazy chore, trying to balance everyone’s likes and dislikes.
Loved your take on sharing the load, Shilpa.
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Cooking is definitley a crazy chore for me, Tulika, and I would avoid it at any costs. But, we ought to eat to survive, right? I am grateful I have hubby to help me out, and I am lucky he is an awesome cook. God bless him, and all the men who have helped out their partners during the lockdown.
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I am feeling like being a bit filmy here – “Tumhare patidev sirf pati nahin hain behen, wo to dev hain devta hain.” 😀 😀
Coming back to my realistic bit, you sure are having the best time courtesy the lockdown. Ready-made meals and clean sink are such a heavenly feeling. And to top that getting all the time in the world to pursue all that which brings joy to you is a 7th heavenly emotion. Meri to aankhon main khushi ke aansu aa gaye 🙂
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Hahahaha…Anamika, your comments cheer me up like nothing else!
Yes, readymade meals are a blessing for people like me who aren’t very interested in cooking. I love to do the vessels, it’s not a chore, as such, but sometimes it gets tiring. Sweeping and swabbing leaves me with a bad backache. So, cooking with an aching back feels like a punishment 😦
So, yes, when hubby cooks, my happiness knows no bounds. It’s like shedding khushi ke aansoo! 😛
❤
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Blogadda is still alive? I somehow thought they have shut shop like indibloggers. It is good to read about how your husband is sharing the household chores. I guess all men have somehow risen to the occasion and helping out.
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Oh yes, it is still alive! ;P
Hubby has been so helpful, supportive and understanding.
Men do need to rise to the occasion, B. It’s how a vehicle moves right – on all 4 wheels! ;P
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This is so amazing to hear Shilpa. Now I know your secret to being on your schedule so diligently. I cant seem to get over the household chores at all. Its been ages since I have worked on the mosaic or my blog or social media. I have been doing things in random spurts which eventually die out.
Do share some pics of your hubby’s cooking – I need to learn meal planning very diligently but I dont know why I shirk from it so so much.
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True, Shalz. It’s just coz hubby helped that I could keep my date with my blog and art, else all my plans would have gone haywire. 🙂
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That’s so good to hear, Shilpa. It’s always wonderful when your partner has no hassle in doing any of the chores. I’m always grateful to the mother-in-law I never knew who trained my husband so well too! 🙂
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Love love love this. Sharing the load is so important for a happy household. Our cooking has changed these days as everyone has different preference. But I am grateful I am not the only one slogging in the kitchen. Thankfully technology has made all the time consuming tasks convenient. But even then I hardly get time to sit down. My blogging has reduced to just 1 day per week.
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Sharing the load is so important and this can be in any form. I too dread cooking and more than the task itself it’s the cleaning, chopping, doing the dishes. Mom lives with me and I am lucky in that sense as she is an excellent cook and does all of this. I do the dishes
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🙂 I am glad I have company, Akshata. All the women I know are such good cooks. And I? Least interested in the activity ;P
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