Today I didn't do it

I’ve been struggling with finding 1 hour several days a week to workout and yesterday morning I asked myself how my brother-in-law maintains his 2 hour a day workout regimen, manages to help with his baby in the morning, drive a heinous commute and work a zillion hours a day - yet I have difficulty finding those 60 minutes (without a heinous commute or crazy hours at work). I thought, “It’s the difference between BEING a wife and HAVING a wife. Having a wife allows you those luxuries, being a wife means you provide the time for those luxuries for someone else to enjoy.” My sister disagreed, said it was about managing your priorities, deciding what to let go of and making the time for yourself. She’s absolutely right, however, yesterday evening I received the following e-mail and it struck me that, while it is about making choices, there are always consequences for those choices, and is it really a “choice” if you are punished in the end?

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What Do You Do All Day?

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife curled up in the bed still in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?""Yes," was his incredulous reply.She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."