Chores

Chores have always been a regular part of any day. We grew up knowing from an early age that there were certain things that needed to be done, there didn't need to be any discussion about it, and that they needed to be done before we even THOUGHT of doing anything else.
The garden would be weeded before going to Bear Pond for an afternoon of swimming. The lawn would be mowed before we drove into town for ice cream. Dinner dishes would be washed, dried and put away before the television shows came on. Beds would be changed and rooms tidied before going to roller skate on Saturday mornings. It was just how things were done in our house. Even when we were camping, the chores were done before the day of fun and discovery began... sleeping bags neat and tidy, tent swept out, breakfast dishes taken care of and the campsite put in order.

It's made for an orderly lifestyle as an adult... an almost unconscious need to multi-task the chores early on so that we can relax and enjoy the 'play time' we set aside... it's like that for my sisters and even for our children... I know some of that is genetic, but I believe a lot of it is ingrained behavior through the generations. I wouldn't have it any other way!

The best thing I've found is that if the chores are too tedious and unpleasant, there's a way to eliminate them from my adult life... and the chores that remain have an element of joy in the doing that makes them a happy part of my life... and I get to choose which ones I want to keep or not! Obviously there are still a few things that are not high on my 'want-to-do' list', but they still are not that bad, mostly because of the early training. Even chores like collecting fiddle heads becomes fun when done in good company on a sunny day!

Thanks mom and dad for teaching us the value of keeping up with chores... and making the work fun whenever possible.