Melbourne

TRIGGER WARNING: man rant with a hint of mysticism and philosophy..

Something all mums need to see.

Picture of a sign in my kitchen which reads, "GOOD MUMS have sticky floors, Messy kitchens, Piles of laundry, dirty ovens and HAPPY KIDS"

Mr Peeler cracked the shits about how the kitchen was untidy. Admittedly I didn't clean up very well yesterday, I felt fucking awful and it was an effort to drag myself through any task. I reminded him that he has made plenty of mess in the past week and cleaned none of it. He countered that he was sick. I reminded him I was too, and am still recovering! But only people with main character syndrome are allowed clemency for illness😒 Anyway, to cut a long story short (and a lot of futile self defence type arguing and bullshit out) I have this sign in my kitchen. After a similar argument many years ago, I left the house and went for a walk. I found myself in the op shop around the corner from my house. I walked into the store and there it was, this sign, perched atop a collection of kitchen bric-a-brac. It was literally the first thing my eyes saw when I entered the store. I shit you not, I swear on both my parents graves, there was a soft shaft of light from a high window that fell across some of the kitchen stuff, including this sign. It was so freaky! It was like, a sign but also a sign. You know, a sign sign. Of course I bought it, took it home and placed it in a prominent part of the kitchen, where it remains to this day. Mr Peeler later admitted he'd been a total dick. As he always does. Having the impulse control of a 5yo is not easy for a 60+yo boomer. He does not seem to be able to stop those first words from coming out, and having been in too many relationships where I didn't adequately stand up for myself if at all, I am shockingly defensive and do not back down in an argument.

Additional thoughts: I've spent altogether too much time in pubs, bars and taverns, done a frightening amount of drinking, and been in the position where it's late at night and the talk has turned personal. Older men often speak of their mothers, especially after a recent bereavement. I've never once in my whole life heard a man say, "my mum was a good lady but I wish she'd cleaned the oven a bit more often," or "I wish mum had vacuumed more often." They do say things like, "my mother never held me," "my mother never told me she loved me," "my mother was really cold to me my whole life and I never knew why," "my mother put dad first and us kids came a long way second." Because these are the things, at the end of the night, at the end of life itself, that really fucking hurt.

Thankyou for humouring my rant!