work and food

D and I recently moved. Well, we moved a while ago. I mean, a few weeks ago. Actually, what I mean to say is that we moved over a month ago but still haven't finished cleaning out our old apartment.

There, I said it.

But you really can't blame me because we had to pay for the month of September as part of our contract. And moving is hard. And for some reason, the thought of cleaning behind the washer and dryer was just overwhelming.

So every Saturday D and I planned on driving down to finish the cleaning. We had the best of intentions. But we would wake up and our bed just felt so comfortable and my favorite cooking shows were on tv and well, we just didn't want to.

Well, today was our last Saturday before we absolutely had to be out so we had no choice.

But trust me, I didn't want to. I'm ashamed to say it but I called a maid service just to see. We also considered not cleaning and missing out on our deposit. But in the end, we knew what we had to do.

Luckily, it was easy to bribe Jack and Lauren into helping us. Help cleaning the apartment in return for taking them out to dinner seemed like a fair trade. So today, we cleaned.

I think for everyone, at some point in your childhood you realize just a little bit how easy you've had it. One summer, as you sit on the couch watching cartoons and watch your dad leave to work for the day, you figure it out. You don't have to do all the crappy things adults do.

But by the time you've figured out how delightfully simple your life has been, the clock strikes midnight and you take the next step up the ladder of adulthood. In just a few short years, summer greets you with a minimum wage job at Burger King, a grease stained polo three sizes too large, and a cap that says "Have it Your Way" on the back.

I'll admit, I only worked a three hour shift at a time, which compared to the ten to twelve hour days I put in now seems miniscule. Trust me though, to the sixteen year old version of myself it came as a shock.

Recently, I have found that Saturday is not necessarily a day for relaxation and fun. Usually it is a day to get the yard work done, change the oil in the car, and deep clean the kitchen. On rare and unfortunate occasions, it is a day to clean out your stupid apartment.

But, if you are lucky you have good siblings to help for the low price of a dinner. If you are attentive, you will realize that with additional responsibility there is greater joy and accomplishment. And if you are wise, you will appreciate the simplicity of the current phase you're in.

I'm still working on that last one.