WHERE ARE YOU IF YOU ARE NOT HERE? [W, 5-21-23]

BEYOND WINTER: The Irrelevant Befuddlements of An Old Man—WHERE ARE YOU IF YOU ARE NOT HERE? [W, 5-21-23]

 

I sort of like having folks text their ETA. Especially those who are going to do work in the house. Plumbers and their ilk let you know that you need to get out of your pajamas. 15 minutes out, they text.

One of us especially wants to know when the cleaning lady will arrive, so that she can have the house sparkling before the cleaner gets here with her rags and mops. Don’t want her to think we are dirty people. Well, what other kind of people need her?

So, last week the cleaning lady texted Be there in 10. I quickly picked up all my underwear from the floor. Ten minutes later she texted, I’m here. That meant we should open the garage door for her. Helen looked out the window. Didn’t see anybody. No person. No car. No bucket of cleaning supplies.

She’s been here many times, so we assumed she knew where here is. Not so.

She thought she was here, but she wasn’t. We had no idea where she was, so it was hard to give her directions to get to here.

Often, I have thought I was here when I was not. Many times, I have been anyplace but here. It’s hard to get any cleaning done if you aren’t here.

 

John Robert McFarland

“Housework, if you do it right, will kill you.” Erma Bombeck