Yesterday my neighbor remarked that it was only people like us who bothered to spend money to have someone come over and do a thorough cleaning of the yard every month. It rains a lot where I live and grass and bushes grow, and trees put out branches full of fresh green leaves in the blink of an eye.
It was hard not to miss the slight scorn in what otherwise appeared to be a compliment. After all you stay in rented premises, so why bother? A friend told me how her cousin was amazed that she took pains to keep the house squeaky clean, even the nooks and crannies, when that house was ‘only’ family quarters allotted by the army for the duration of a couple of years. ‘Are you crazy?’ the cousin presumably asked her, ‘It is not your own and you’ll have to leave in a few more months!”
I don’t understand people like my neighbor and my friend’s cousin and many more with similar outlook who think if something is not your own, it need not be kept clean or cared for. Like I told my neighbor, “Excuse me! I LIVE here!”
©Shail Mohan 2016
Day 14 NaBloPoMo 2016
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I agree with you: home is where you live, after all!
Yes, Anne. And keeping it clean is to our benefit!
“Not your own”,
At you was thrown
Your reply
Was succinct and spry
A better way of Life to the neighbor was shown!
I definitely hope so! 🙂
Wow, by that rational, I wouldn’t have had to clean house for the past 39 years! Funny thing – we’ve lived places that I was more hyper about keeping it spic and span because we didn’t own it, and it was in such great shape when we moved in. Silly people. 😛
Totally with you on this. I have also spent most of my life in houses not owned. The silliness goes to a whole new level when people believe that one should not clean the house one is leaving or the evil god will follow you to your new home. It’s from a local saying. I was flabbergasted the first time I heard it. A convenient reason not to do a lot of work, eh?
Of course, YOU LIVE THERE , IT’S YOUR HOME!
Exactly how I feel about it! Thanks 🙂
It’s telling, isn’t it. That ownership of a situation depends on your mindset. Like you, I keep the rental I live in clean. Though we don’t own the property, it is our home and it’s important to me that it be cared for. Doing so improves our quality of life. But others don’t see it that way.
So true. Quality of life does matter for some of us. Thank you for the comment! 🙂
I’d argue that NOT owning and knowing someone else is coming there after you is more incentive to care for it carefully. Including the earth itself.
What a valid point!
Yes, strange. Would you want to live in squalid conditions just because you did not own the property?
Yes indeed. That’s what baffles me.
Am with you on this…
The only reason to me not doing the cleaning work regularly is my lack of time and my hormones playing havoc !
Hope you feel better, Uma! Hugs.
Agree. And a LOT of people have this mentality (shockingly, a good education doesn’t seem to alter this attitude!).
Which, I personally believe, is a major reason for our unclean roads and public spaces…because it “isn’t mine”.
Yes! We would not even need a Swach Bharat drive if people had the right mentality.
The world will be so much better if people just care for things that are not “their own”, whether it is to help with the environment or give a stranger a helping hand. As Scorpria said, even “educated” folks don’t get it. Apparently the Indian definition of “education” needs to be revamped.
Word. Absolutely agree.