I'm staying at my brother's apartment for a few days. Being left at home for most of the day yesterday I spent a few hours of the time cleaning their kitchen. I didn't mind it at all; I actually find a certain enjoyment (most of the time) in bringing order from chaos. It was especially nice because it was the opposite of the type of work I have been engaging in recently (papers etc). I got quite a bit of satisfaction in the results. It wasn't a pig sty but it clearly hadn't been cleaned for quite some time (beyond the normal washing of dishes when necessary). I wiped down the cupboards, scrubbed the counter and stove top, got rid of all things growing in the fridge, put out the garbage (trying to rid it of whatever the source of the funky smell was) and did other assorted tasks. I was happy with the result and wasn't sure how the guys would take it when they came home. Would they feel bad that I had spent so long cleaning their kitchen? Would they be surprised with what a difference the cleaning made? What would they say?
They said nothing. Later in the evening Brady said "thanks for doing the dishes. I was planning on doing them but didn't get around to it." That was it. I mean it was nice of him to notice I had done the dishes but I had done so much more than that! Their not saying anything didn't really hurt me, it just surprised me. The kitchen looks so different to me from what it was like before I started that I couldn't understand that they didn't see the difference too (after all, they live here).
This incident has reinforced what I already knew: guys are not observant in the same way that girls are. If a woman walked in the kitchen who had seen its previous state, her first comment would be on how good it looks. I knew this difference existed but I didn't realize how deeply it really ran. I need to remember this for the time when I am married. It is fortunate that I've learned this at a time when the inattention does not hurt me.
Further lessons from this incident: I am not going to attempt to tackle their bathroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment