Scrub! Again!
January 18, 2012
In addition to the expectation of compliance (and of my willingness to comply) to my wife’s schemes, plans, and resolutions, we have an ‘obey list’. It’s really a list of things she wants me to do – not necessarily that day or every day, just at some point. She’ll usually email me from work asking me what I already plan on doing for the day, and then add something from the obey list, sometimes removing something from my plan.
For instance, she had scrub the kitchen floor on the obey list last week, even said I could do it in sections for the baby’s sake and encouraged me that it wouldn’t take so long. Not so big a deal really, I’ve scrubbed the kitchen floor before when she has told me to, and I even wrote a story with the same theme.
So, today I happen to be on the phone with her about baking the lemon lavender scones she had put on the obey list (they turned out quite well), when I get an email from her saying,
“I notice you left the kitchen floor off the list–you need to keep up with that.”
So I ask her over the phone “Um, you want me to scrub the floor again?” as I’m thinking I thought she felt I did a good job with that, why again?
“Yes, I want you to do a section everyday. If you do a section everyday, it’ll be easy to keep up with.”
As you can imagine, I’m realizing now:
Oh, scrub the floor over and over again for the rest of my life, one section at a time…
“…Aye, Captain.”
“Good.”
Because yes, I’m okay with that.
Because it’s clear she wants (me to do) it.
Because I like it when she wants (me)(so clearly).
Because her wanting is so beautiful and fiery.
