I'm going to step back in time.
Bizarre. I know! Ok, so now that is out of the way let me explain.
Lately I have been feeling unsatisfied. I mean really unsatisfied. And grumpy. And moody. Bored. And downright pretty horrid to be around. Hey, just ask my husband. It's something that has been festering for a little while now and I haven't been able to put my finger on what it is...but then suddenly I realised why I couldn't figure it out. My head feels stuffed. My brain feels over taxed. It's like the world is moving too fast and I sort of want to get off. Does that make sense? No? Ok...I will continue.
Somewhere life has got so complex. I blame technology mostly. This crazy need to own everything and be so up to date. Also the need to rush around like a mad thing all go, go, go...like all the time...and it's exhausting. The complexities of life with things like technology (and that never ending feeling of having to be 'plugged in' all the time), plus the horrors of the world that are unleashed into our lounge rooms on a constant basis (thank you media) are wearing me down and make this world so unhappy.
For example, the news is so ghastly. I've really noticed it lately. Every morning I put on the television (which stupidly there is one in my bedroom) and the morning news program will herald the latest murder to take place. And I'm not exaggerating. Lately there has been one EVERY morning. What is going on? As well as that sort of stuff...murders aside...there is the whole social media thing. It seemed to start innocently enough... Facebook was a great way to catch up with old friends, which is why I joined it in the first place......actually I didn't even know what it was for ages and since I was working on a farm didn't get near a computer much so didn't bother joining it for a long time..... but now it's full of ads, bullying and constant nastiness. Yes, there are lots of funny videos, I do like those...and the cute pictures of puppies and kitties.... but really it's something we could all do without.
So....here's my experiment....I am stepping back in time.
As well as the reasons mentioned above, there are a few other reasons why, but firstly I will refer back to me being a grumpy bum and feeling less then pleased. Essentially I am a housewife. Shock horror! The use of that dated 1950s term. I could say 'stay at home mum' or 'career mum' or 'working mum'....which is what I am really as I do write and take photos for a magazine....but the majority of the time I am a housewife. There, I said it again. But the truth...the truth was it was pissing me off. Big time. Cleaning, picking up after four kids, cooking, washing, folding laundry..picking up after the kids AGAIN....etc..etc...etc..... Ok, you get the idea. Frankly, it is boring and what was happening was that I was resenting my life and spending my time wishing away the time until the next phase of my life...which for me is when we finally own our own farm....finally came along. But here's the thing. Here I am wishing away my life and before I know it, it will be gone. I'm middle aged now, which is slightly terrifying, and before I know it I'll be a little old lady. With the pace that the world drags us along with all it's technology and Tweets and updating our statuses...it will all be gone before we know it.
If I'm not making any sense, here is what I am trying to get at. I have decided to embrace the housewife tag because that is what I am, and instead of despising it...because really, I can't avoid being one..we have four kids (three of them ages 5 and under)..I have decided to step back to a time when being a housewife was good. I know, it's sounding weird still, but by thinking that this is what I'm supposed to be doing at this point in time then I know I can be happier and better at it...and subsequently...a lot nicer to be around. Grumpy bum be gone!
I mentioned other reasons which I will briefly touch on. An important one involves my husband, who I don't like to chat about too much because he doesn't like it, but put simply (and I'm not trying to make it sound like he's a chauvinist, which he by no means is).... I know he would be happier with a 1950s wife. Arrgghhh..!! Did I just say that? Ok, before you all jump up and down and say 'bastard' or whatever...I mean this in a nice way. I don't mean '1950s housewife' who rushes to the door when hubby gets home, slippers and pipe in hand, lipstick freshly applied...the little woman who gets no say in life and all that rubbish... but more a snippet of a 1950s housewife. I mean someone who treats their husband with respect, trusts him to make decisions (with your input of course...I mean it is the year 2015), and yes...looks after his kids and household without feeling grumpy about it. Over the last couple of days I have started this experiment of mine, starting with a change of attitude towards my husband...as well as giving him my trust in making a MAJOR decision which will effect our lives in a big way...and already I have found an incredible change. And I'm not just eluding to the change in me. I mean a change in him! By me being more willing to let him ...shall I say 'wear the pants'... I have felt a lot less stress, a lot more calm, a lot more happy...and he has been lovely towards me! Now don't get me wrong, this is not some cunning plan to get him to be nice to me, it's simply a shift in attitude that I have realised is key to a happy marriage and stress free life. Make fun of the 1950s housewife, sure, but somewhere in all that fluffiness a lot of it made sense.
So by stepping back to the 1950s...what have I done? Well, as well as the attitude thing there has been a really fun part. The fashion!!
There is something about those dresses and the full skirts and the beautiful hair styles and just how glamorous women were back then. Dressing in the morning was dressing up and clothes were not just stopping you from going out naked but were fun. Now I'm a jeans girl. And I mean EVERY day. It's pretty boring really. Yesterday and today, however, I wore a skirt. Yesterday my husband came home, and even though it took him a while to notice, said "why are you wearing a skirt?" Now normally he doesn't notice what I wear but yesterday he did...and he liked it.
Today I went out wearing a skirt, a button up cardigan, even stockings (!) and I wore my hair down in curls with the front pinned up (it did look quite 1950s...although not those incredible coiled hair styles that they did...I'm terrible at doing hair so haven't mastered that at all yet...) and I even wore makeup INCLUDING lipstick. I thought I would feel really self conscious but you know...I didn't. Not once. Maybe because I've reached an age where I just don't care what people think any more and I don't have the need to 'wear what everyone else is wearing', but honestly...I felt good! I had to go to the bank and you know the weirdest thing....I had so many men look at me. Not young guys...honestly, they're not interested in me any more...but men probably late 30s and older...all look at me with appreciation. I'm not trying to boast here, (and I didn't go out with the intention of attracting attention from the opposite sex) I mean I'm not super good looking or anything, but it was interesting to see that men appreciate women in a skirt and makeup and looking like she has put some effort into her appearance. I had to sit and wait in the bank for a while, so this was when I copped these looks, but I also took note of the other women that came in the bank and they were all wearing pants or jeans...and one woman even had tracksuit pants on (sweat pants)...which I have never done..wear these out in public (blergh)..and they all looked decidedly frumpy. Ok, I'm not trying to be mean, but they certainly weren't getting noticed, but the other thing...they didn't look particularly happy. I put on something a little bit fun and I had a fun day!
On the way home I visited a charity shop, there is a rather large one in town, and there I picked up four items of clothing that look so 1950s it's like they dropped in there via a time machine. I got two skirts...one so full...exactly like something out of 'Grease', that it looks like it is going to be lovely fun to wear....and two tops that have the right 1950s look. For a total of $9 I was pretty darn pleased with my purchases.
Anyway, I shall continue on with my experiment and keep you posted with how living a more simple...and more glamorous (!)...life goes. I promise, however, that I shall never look like this....
...while hanging out the washing. Never. Not once. Ok, maybe when I successfully get out a REALLY stubborn stain. But that's it.
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