Hum Saath Saath Hain For #LaundryGoesOddEven!

Those were the days

I would wake up

well before him

being busy in routine chores

He would feel proud to be

sleeping a couple of hours extra,

feeling fulfilled, satisfied.

Those were the days

He would come from work

Change, Relax, and Watch JukeBox,

while I would come from work

around the same time

Change, Get on the job without a pause

Those were the days

when eating, relaxing, leisure were

part of his share of life

between the two of us

Dusting, Cleaning, Washing, Cooking

were part of mine.

But one fine day he changed all of a sudden without any reason, without anything reasonably alarming happening around. I probed but all in vain. I finally asked him what was the reason of such a drastic change in him and he came back with a story. Few days back he was tired at work though there was no work pressure as such, and he thought to relax under a tree on the way home. He stopped the car near Lodhi Garden and sat inside the garden under a tree. 

The cool wind blowing and sitting right under the shade of that dense tree opened his inner eyes as he had a strange feeling inside. He felt about this huge difference in our lives. Why everything to be done is my job, and why everything to be consumed is his, was the cluster of thoughts dwindling in his mind.

There was a paradigm shift in his mindset, and in our life in parallel. He decided to share every job at home with me in all chores with no gender bias. He removed the label from all chores at home and started offloading them from my shoulders thereupon. 

He felt that when I am as busy as him and as much on the move, then why he should expect me to shoulder complete responsibility of the household. On top of it a bit of guilt that arose in his mind was because I never complained, or asked him to share, by contributing his efforts in the work rather than sitting, relaxing, sipping coffee, reading newspaper, watching TV, or listening to music.

That is when it is not only #LaundryGoesOddEven in our happily-turned-happy home but a lot more beyond that. He has been able to change everybody's mindset at home by becoming a load-sharer, work-contributor, and change-maker at home. The earlier thought of everybody's clothes turning out as good as new only when I, the woman of the house, wash them, has changed. 

He brought the new Ariel Matic 'Share the Load' pack ensuring that the stains vanish and our everyday best is at its gleaming best, no matter who does the laundry. In fact, at time, he offers to take the load even when it is my turn as per the Odd-Even calendar that came along with the Ariel Matic pack. The calendar ascertains the laundry days split right down the middle between him and me! The whole journey of our life has transformed from just 'Biwi ka kamaal' to 'Miyan-Biwi ka kamaal'. 

I must thank Ariel Matic and its #LaundryGoesOddEven that has brought a sea-change at our home. Splitting chores and household duties has not only reduced the time taken to do them but has also increased a substantial amount of quality time we get to spend with each other. That in turn has resulted in content family members, strengthened relationships and a happy home. 

We have reached a purely Win-Win situation. The life has got much easier when he started sharing 'my' load. My load has become 'our' load. The gender inequality is now eliminated in my family and gradually in extended family too. Not only that, the impact has started going to our friend's families too. So from one household the impact has not gone to many households at our end. 

~~~ 

I am taking part in the #LaundryGoesOddEven Challenge by Ariel India at BlogAdda