Haiku for Me (When Facing my Messy House)

Phyllis Diller died this past summer and I was sad. She is a figure from my childhood. I barely remember seeing her on tv. She wore funny clothes and she called her husband "Fang." But, what I do remember clearly is my dad laughing at her jokes. When her death was announced I did a little reading up on her and she had a pretty interesting life. She started her comedy career at the age of 38. She raised five children. A sixth child died in infancy. Phyllis also studied music and was an accomplished pianist. She even performed as a solo pianist with orchestras. She voiced characters on several cartoon shows, including one of my favorites King of the Hill (but just one time). And even though she had a raspy voice and carried a cigarette holder, she never was a smoker. And, she was 95 years old when she died!  Her act was of a self-deprecating homemaker. And as a stay-at-home mom, I do enjoy the wit and, at times the wisdom, of Phyllis Diller.

This morning when I looked around my home, I groaned once again at the messiness and the clutter. Two things came to mind. One was my mother saying, "Cleaning house is never finished." My mom kept a very tidy house, despite four kids living there. When I think back at my mom when I was growing up, my mind's eye sees her doing a household chore. She was always working, I barely remember her sitting and resting. My dad use to tell her, "Ya. [a Spanish word that means "enough"]. Give it a rest." The other thing that popped into my head was one of Phyllis Diller's lines. "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." Similar to my mom's line, but there's a difference. While my mom's saying has the sentiment of "nothing you can do about it, just keep doing it," Phyllis Diller is saying "nothing you can do about it with kids, clean it later." I need to give myself a break. Sorry, Mom, I'm heeding Phyllis's advice--at least for now.

My haiku is a mantra I must say to myself next time I feel overwhelmed with the house, and feel I spend too much time relaxing and enjoying time, instead of "getting things done."

Scrubbing and washing

Must always be done. But, stop!

So does having fun.