My Cleaning Lady, My Friend
I first experienced the joy of a cleaning lady forty years ago when I lived in Spain. I had two little children to keep up with, and I was excited when I found out how affordable and accessible cleaning service was. At that time in Spain, almost everyone either had a cleaning lady or was a cleaning lady. The very woman who had hired a cleaning lady one season was just as likely to become one the next season if she wanted to make extra money to buy a new couch or appliance. My cleaning lady, Maria, was the one thing I most wished I could bring home with me!
In Spain, there was no stigma attached to having a cleaning lady. Not so in this country! We tend to be a breed of hale and hearty “Do It Yourselfers.” Maybe the extreme determination to be independent and take care of our own needs has its roots in our pioneer heritage—not just the pioneers that settled the West, but those who settled the first American colonies that eventually became the United States.
Starting when our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, our culture has always encouraged independence on every level. But living independent of the need for help from others is neither optimum nor possible for most of us. Interdependence, where we take turns helping and being helped, is what life is really all about. Think about families. The great comfort of belonging to a strong family system is that when anyone needs help, it is there! In such families, when any member urgently needs help, the others would never say, “Forget it! You need to learn to be independent!”
The Blessings of a Cleaning Lady
Interdependence can be a blessing extended to those outside our family circle, as well. For example, I’ve established a satisfying interdependence with my cleaning lady, Donna. I was actually ordered by my doctor nearly two years ago to find household help a minimum of two hours per week. (I cheered! At last, a valid excuse!) About that time, my friend Patricia told me about Donna. She needed paying work; I needed help. It sounded like a win/win situation, and it has been—more than I ever dreamed possible. She often does the very things that lift my spirits and lighten my load, and I’ve been able to help her in a variety of ways. She can only come periodically, but whenever she comes, I appreciate her!
Why Help with Cleaning Is So Advisable
As hard as it is for most American women to accept household help, it may actually be one of the wisest moves we can make. Even if we are not severely incapacitated, having help with the jobs that are hardest for us or most time-consuming, (or even that we just plain hate!) can free up time and energy to spend on projects (and people) that matter most! When our energies are limited, why spend them on tasks that give us little or no satisfaction when we could be spending them on our top priorities?
Here’s something I’ve learned from these past months of having help: The weeks Donna comes to help me, my functional hours to enjoy life and accomplish the things that are important to me increases exponentially. This happens not only as a result of not having to do the tasks she does for me, but also because downtime hours recuperating from physical exertion are decreased. I can’t think of a better way I could spend the money I pay my cleaning lady.
Think About Your Special Needs
Consider your situation and your needs. Perhaps, in addition to or instead of cleaning help, you need grocery delivery in bad weather, snow removal, yard care, or help to clean out, de-junk, downsize, or organize. Could hiring help be a wise move for you?
It makes perfect sense to pay someone else who has the energy, skills (any maybe the equipment) to do something quickly and expertly that you find laborious and time-consuming. For example, Donna can do many tasks three times as fast as I can. As another example, a young man comes around periodically hiring himself out to wash outside windows. He has all the right equipment, and for a reasonable price, he does in a half hour what it would take me several hours to do. Well spent money, if you ask me!
Both the yellow pages and the computer can be helpful for locating service providers. When I Googled “Cleaning Services in the Salt Lake area” a whole list of possibilities came up. If you feel more comfortable with personal referrals, ask around, and see if a friend or acquaintance can recommend a good person who provides the kind of service you need. If it’s cleaning you most need help with, you might luck out and find a cleaning lady who turns out to be a friend!
By Darla Isackson