There is a slight nip in the air. It does smell like the onset of winter. I smile as I walk in the corridor. It is amazing how our senses work. Does winter really have a smell? Do memories have a smell? Well, I don’t know. It is too early in the morning to poke my sleepy brain with so many questions. I ease in with my surroundings, smiling at myself.
My woolen socks have managed to keep me warm, with this thought I walk into the kitchen. Time for a good coffee. As I pick the cup from the sink and open the tap, I could now feel that “winter in here”. I look at the other utensils in the sink. The help will be here in a couple of hours. These are all for her to wash. My hand automatically goes up and switches ON the geyser. I have set up one in the kitchen, to make cleaning and washing easier.
At that point in time, I felt having warm water will make things easier in winter. But eventually, over the years, I have realized that what is even better is to not keep filling the sink unnecessarily with all kinds of utensils. As I stood washing the coffee cup with the warm water, I could still feel cold and the thought of my help doing this house after house to make ends meet – got me thinking.
In a household, utensils will need to be cleaned (unless you are high on takeaways, and eat them right from the cans). The house will get dirty and need regular sweeping and moping. The clothes will have to be washed and dried. And winter will be around every year. While one might think this is perhaps part of my help’s job; I was wondering if isn’t it for me to make her job easier – so that she does not fall sick, and is happy to show up on a cold, gloomy Sunday.
I was again reminded of this friend of mine who said, often “these people” (meaning the domestic help) have no gratitude for what we give them beyond their salary. So it is better that we just do not pamper them too much, as it might go against us. I am sure many of us have been in such situations as well. I am not sure if it is wrong to expect loyalty and a fair amount of thankfulness from those to whom we usually extend help.
Anyways, as I was maneuvering through these thoughts with coffee in my hand – I felt, why not just cut down the number of times the house is being mopped? It would mean that we would have to litter less and sweep the floor better. As far as utensils are concerned, it is a bit tricky – especially when you have gotten into the habit of mindless “use and drop” in the sink. This habit – winter or no winter – is anyways unsustainable. I better keep a check on this. And lastly clothes. Most houses have washing machines. I understand that few still prefer some clothes to be hand-washed. Perhaps this can be controlled a bit as well.
I have no clue how much gratitude the help will have for this change. But I have got some brickbats flying as to “why am I spoiling the help’s habits”. Frankly, I have no answer to this. I would rather see it as changes made for better employee satisfaction.
How many times have those of us who hold a corporate job got upset when the AC is playing havoc during winters and our fingers kind of refuse to type? So many of us have had constant complaints about the coffee machine not working properly, and how “we need to have good coffee/tea” for our brain to function. We have even gone to the extent of comparing our perks with the companies across the building. I am sure, at one point or another, we have all done this in some shape or form.
Then why do we have different takes on those who help us, and make our lives much easier?
At this point, I am more worried about trying to justify my decisions with fellow ladies than thinking about how much have I spoilt this help of mine. 🙂
Yet I know one thing for sure… Winter is here, and perhaps this is the right time to warm up some hearts and not just our homes.
Cya!!
Winter is Coming – Let’s Warm Up Hearts
M.A English Language And Literature ( MG University, Kerala )
Final Semester MBA ( Marketing Management, NMIMS )
Digital Marketer With A Cyber Security Solutions Firm, Banglore.
