If I became a housewife, what I will do with my time
A dream I had during an off day
Many people around me are working hard towards a career. Not that I’m not, but sometimes I wonder how I'd fare if I could just quit and be a housewife. It is purely a dream, my bank account will tell you so and I have accepted it. But there is no harm in dreaming, is there? I will wake up once it is over.
So, I was thinking, if I was a housewife, there are so many things I could do. Activities that will bring me joy, bring others joy. No KPIs, no competitive colleagues, no commute, less pressure and the list goes on.
I did get an opportunity to be a housewife a few years ago when I was in between jobs. At the time I grew bored very fast. I was so preoccupied with finding a new job while looking at my slowly emptying bank account that I didn’t fully appreciate the time and chance I had.
I took an off day today to clear my cluttered mind. I knew there were no meetings or urgent work and whatever was on my agenda was completed. That ensured that nobody would be looking for me all day. That meant that I did not have to wake up at 6am. I slept till 8.30am when my husband called me for breakfast that he had prepared. I stayed in my pyjamas while having my eggs and toast with coffee. I could do the dishes right away instead of leaving them for later too. I’m too organised and a bit of a neat freak, but that makes me happy!
I felt like I was productive all day. I did laundry, baked a loaf of brioche bread, cooked some food, tended to my houseplants, did some light reading and watched TV. I felt calm and happy. It made me wish to have the same kind of day everyday, that’s why I’m writing this entry.
My home will be in tip top shape. I wouldn’t be having dead houseplants. I have only managed to keep a few really hardy ones alive. My basil has tried to due many time but I give it some water just in the nick of time for it to give me another chance.
I will not put off painting the house or fixing the chips and scratches that have accumulated in the 4 years that we have been living here. I’ll mend the many articles of clothing that I have accumulated to mend on day. At the same time, my sewing kit and accessories will not be in a box collecting a thick layer of dust(which it is doing now).
My windows will not be dirty. They will be clear and sparkling because I will have loads of time to keep them clean and maintain them. Right now I clean one set of windows once every 6 months or so. So by the time I finish all of them, the first set will be so dusty. It does not help that I have a temple nearby to my house and the incense ash makes up the bulk of the dust stuck to my windows. I love the temple but not the ash that goes along with it. That’s life, I guess. You win some, you lose some.
Reading! I will be able to read and read and read. Right now there is a minimum of 5 half read books placed around the house, waiting for me to get back to them. I used to read 4 to 5 books a week! Of course, that was during my teens. Now as a full time working adult with a husband and home and hobbies to tend to, I rarely find time to read anything other than something on the fly during my evening commute. I haven’t been to the library in such a long time. That is even without considering the pandemic. I have not even started on an e-book since last year. That is really sad.
Basically there are so many “housewifey” things I’d like to do but I know that I will get bored once the chores are out of the way. I like working, surprisingly. I love the freedom and independence it gives me. It is so empowering and it reminds me of the hardships women in the past have gone through to enable me to have a career now.
Now all I have to do is to organise my time and do the chores and hobbies that I want to pursue. I will be joining a new office in a few days, hopefully it will give me better work-life harmony and I’d be able to allocate time for the aforementioned to-do list.
