It was my intention to have orders caught up, shipped and book the same week free, but anyone, any woman/wife/mother who is self-employed that is, knows how it goes. A thousand and one things to try and accomplish in the course of a day in addition to the full-time job of operating a business - kids, husband, home, dog etc etc etc. and having all work out exact and according to schedule enough to empty out the studio and hang the "ON VACATION" sign on the virtual door is not always as easy as one would imagine it to be. And so, we decide that this will be the week that Joe catches up on his to-do list (or my "to do list" for him, more like it) as I hand him his 1001 things to accomplish on his week off including his favorite of all jobs, painting...NOT!! How someone can NOT find painting relaxing, therapeutic, rejuvenating, a completely self-indulgent ME-time, is beyond me! Some of my girlfriends LOVE housework (now that, I'll never get), some LOVE baking (don't get that one either), some LOVE gardening (well okay, maybe for a while - a very SHORT while), but to not LOVE painting...what is there to not love about painting?
My husband is, I guess what one might call, a 'workhorse'. He's up at 5 every morning, tends to Murphy the 2nd, runs with him, and after showering and shaving, makes his lunch for work, cleans the kitchen, folds laundry, and when Lizzy was younger, would wake her, change her diaper, bring her in to me so that I could nurse her, and he still finds the time to send a mail or fax to his parents or the kids in Germany, puts coffee on for me but not without a love note wishing me a wonderful day and showering me with xoxoxo's and then driving an hour to get to work. Exhausting already, and his work day hasn't even begun! He then manages his team a full day, drives another hour to get home, spends time with Lizzy and I, can put Lizzy to bed including bath time, story time, lullabies, then carry on with yardwork, housework, whatever work is required including cutting signs for me, a late dinner with moi, and goes to bed at midnight. All of this to say, hardly a lazy man by any stretch of the imagination, but ask him to paint???
My husband is, I guess what one might call, a 'workhorse'. He's up at 5 every morning, tends to Murphy the 2nd, runs with him, and after showering and shaving, makes his lunch for work, cleans the kitchen, folds laundry, and when Lizzy was younger, would wake her, change her diaper, bring her in to me so that I could nurse her, and he still finds the time to send a mail or fax to his parents or the kids in Germany, puts coffee on for me but not without a love note wishing me a wonderful day and showering me with xoxoxo's and then driving an hour to get to work. Exhausting already, and his work day hasn't even begun! He then manages his team a full day, drives another hour to get home, spends time with Lizzy and I, can put Lizzy to bed including bath time, story time, lullabies, then carry on with yardwork, housework, whatever work is required including cutting signs for me, a late dinner with moi, and goes to bed at midnight. All of this to say, hardly a lazy man by any stretch of the imagination, but ask him to paint???
FORGET IT! He can do anything, fix anything, conquer anything, resolve anything, but paint? He can do it alright, but DISLIKES IT with a passion! And so, imagine a man who works so hard, looking forward to a week away from work when all week, has been doing nothing but painting! Incredibly fit and not at all afraid of heights or anything for that matter, has been out with an extension ladder to the top of our 36 ft tall house, on the rooftop inspecting our chimney, the roof, and enjoying the view of Campbellton, the Restigouche River, our maple treetops and our neighbors rooftops and for him, carefree and all so exhilarating until handed the dreaded paintbrush!
Scraping, batting mosquitoes, sanding, batting mosquitoes, priming, batting mosquitoes, painting, batting mosquitoes. He can even live with the mosquitoes, the blistering sun, dangling from the rooftop where all that exists between him and the ground is NOTHING, but when the painting is set to begin...UGGGH! One might ask, 'Well if he hates it that much, why not hire someone to paint?". You know, I tried to sneak that one by him, but like any other man totally capable of doing his own work and that whole male-pride thing that seems to go along with it, there is not a chance that I can hire another man to do his work. So all I can say to that then is, then just do it :)!
And count your lucky stars that we don't live in a bungalow where the ladder can adequately reach allowing your height-fearing paint-aholic wife with her pungent for color and scheme change fluctuating every day of the week beckoning the solace that painting provides her, change the color of the house every week...because for sure he knows me well enough to know that if I could, I would!! And we laugh...
Quietly, while I'm in the attic, painting the letters on my final custom sign to be shipped in our "vacation" week, allowing what I love to do take me away in thought, thinking thru my (his) next 'honey-do' list and reflecting a little as it allows me to do, I glance at the window from 3 stories up to see his gorgeous face smiling back at me from an extension ladder and my heart sings.
Thank you, Honey, for all of your hard work. For your sacrifices, for who you are, for all you give of yourself to our life together and for being the most selfless, tireless, fearless and hardworking man and father I've ever known, you truly are my hero...xoxo
Quietly, while I'm in the attic, painting the letters on my final custom sign to be shipped in our "vacation" week, allowing what I love to do take me away in thought, thinking thru my (his) next 'honey-do' list and reflecting a little as it allows me to do, I glance at the window from 3 stories up to see his gorgeous face smiling back at me from an extension ladder and my heart sings.
Thank you, Honey, for all of your hard work. For your sacrifices, for who you are, for all you give of yourself to our life together and for being the most selfless, tireless, fearless and hardworking man and father I've ever known, you truly are my hero...xoxo
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WOW, I thought my Mike was great, but I am thinking he may want to read your post and put forward "a little more of an effort"!!! I think you should write a book! I loved your post! It made me laugh and smile! I so totally understand! Like me, you are a lucky lady! Take Care, Carrie
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