Domestic Bliss

Slowly, over the course of my time living away from home, I have become domesticated. I've taught myself to cook, I like the hiatus that a load of laundry brings and there's something nice about the smell of the lemony vinegar cleanliness after I'm done scrubbing the bathroom. (Still can't stand ironing, though).

Furthermore, the more I learn about cooking, the more I learn about the food I eat. Healthy foods rule my thoughts when I cook, for I figure why bother spending all this time preparing and cooking when it's not doing anyone any good anyway? I resent my flatmate's addiction to pizza and 2 minute noodles. When it's her turn to cook, she submits to laziness.

This entry, however, is not about my increasing domesticity but the idea that domesticity can help relieve executive stress. I'm not saying all execs need to fire their gardeners and maids (especially if he or she can iron ten times faster than me) but perhaps stop and think about whether outsourcing help has eroded involvement in the home.

For example, if you hire a nanny to look after your kids, how much of their growing up will be influenced by their nanny as opposed to influenced by you? Similarly, if you hire someone to do your gardening, your cleaning, your laundry, your ironing, how connected do you feel to things you actually own?

It sounds weird, but every time I pluck a pair of socks from my drawer, I think about the last time I washed them and had to hunt down the other to make a pair. As much as I hate doing the ironing (because it takes me about 15 minutes to iron a shirt), I like seeing the creases steamed out of the clothes. And there's something quite satisfying about seeing all the dishes stacked in the dishrack at the end of the night instead of sprawled across the kitchen bench and knowing that I made it like that.

What's missing from an executive life (and I'm making assumptions based on the stereotypical executive) is the simple and easily achieved feeling that they've accomplished something. A typical executive has so many things in the air, so many people to manage and projects to focus on, that it takes a long time for things to end. Closure is hard to achieve. My solution: wash the dishes. The task ends in a matter of minutes. It's a methodical way to accomplish something. And to think about all those other people in the world - different races, different ages, different occupations - who are doing the same thing.