Chores and the Love of My Home

For someone who thrives on intellectual engagement, manual tasks around the house can feel especially grueling. It isn’t necessarily the physical work itself that makes me tired, but it drains me when I feel that my body is engaged but my mind isn’t sure where to anchor itself. My mind jumps from topic to topic, looking for a stable foothold but often finding nothing to keep it in place for long.

This means that housework has always been a struggle for me. I thank God that it has gotten easier over time, especially as I’ve developed systems that keep chores from getting overwhelming. In recent months, I’ve been working on molding my perspective to see housework as a valuable activity, just as worthy of my time as paid work is.

A couple of days ago, I got an idea that pushed me further in that positive direction. See, I love our apartment. It’s perfect for us in so many ways—the wheelchair-accessibility, the spacious layout, the design of the rooms. And I’m so thankful for the blessing to live here. So I asked myself, can I translate that love for this place into a love of taking care of this place?

Firstly, we often hear love spoken of as a choice. I’ve heard this emphasized in relationships, meaning that we can choose loving behavior toward a person regardless of how we feel at any particular moment. So, in a certain sense, I can simply choose to love our apartment by my actions. I can choose to vacuum the carpets, to wash the dishes, to clean the sink, to fold the laundry.

I don’t want it to stop there, though. I really want these actions to be accompanied by a loving attitude. I don’t want to resent chores as I do them. I want to embrace caring for our home.

So, toward this end, I’ve been trying to approach chores with a smile on my face and a warm thought/prayer as I begin: “Thank You so much, Lord, for our home [or “this kitchen” or “these clothes”]. Thank You for the opportunity and ability to work here and take care of these things.” Then, as I work, I try to turn warm thoughts toward the objects around me and notice the characteristics that I appreciate about them.

I don’t think that I can magically change all of my feelings about housework overnight, but I do feel a slight shift in my attitude as I choose to look at my tasks differently. And, with time, that sort of slight shift can become serious transformation.