Through my experience at the homes of my children as well as time spent cleaning professionally and just as service to others, I have observed different attitudes about maintaining a dwelling. I guess some of it may be due to youth and inexperience. I only knew how to clean an oven when I was newly married because my mother never liked to clean ovens and I didn't like the smoke that billowed out when I tried to use it. So I learned how to get an oven clean enough that it didn't stink or smoke up the house. I also remember listening to conversations of women who had been married a little longer than I as they discussed having to clean out the floor vents that filled up with toys, food, and general household dirt. I hadn't even noticed the vents that much. Not wanting to sound ignorant, I didn't comment but I did look in my floor vents when I got home and learned I needed to lift out the grates, retrieve larger objects, then vacuum out the spider webs and dust. Russ and I always tried to fix or clean things, even if we were renting, because it was
our home, even though we didn't actually own it. It was where we lived and we liked things clean and in working order. I have noticed that some people, especially those who more recently left home where their parents took care of everything, either don't notice things that need cleaning or repair, or they somehow have that union-type attitude of "it's not in my job description". Who is it that they think should clean or fix it? Even things that should rightfully be the landlord's responsibility require someone to notice them. The very most conscientious landlord can't possibly be aware of every faucet drip, broken window shade, or noisy refrigerator. You can either fix it yourself or report it to the landlord, not in a complaining or demanding manner, but just as information with the assumption that they are a responsible landlord and need to know the condition of their property. I have found that things left in need of repair always cause additional problems down the line. Things left dirty never clean themselves. They smell unpleasant and encourage mildew, all kinds of bugs, and generally deteriorate until they are nearly impossible to get clean. There is an old Dutch proverb that I don't remember word for word (I never heard an original Dutch person quote it) that says something like "if everyone cleans their own doorstep, the whole village will be clean". It works for cleanliness, cheerfulness, politeness, trustworthiness, and a whole slew of very nice things.
Kevin's parents treated the whole 30-some people in our group to dinner at the Golden Corral. It was the ideal place to eat because we had a room all to ourselves and everyone could choose whatever they wanted to eat in whatever quantity they wanted! But first we had to wait until an accurate count could be made. It required that we stop talking and moving around in a lively social manner....
