National No Housework Day

My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.

Erma Bombeck

Envision it, you’ve been working long and hard all day and are absolutely exhausted to the core. The road hasn’t been kind and every traffic light seems to have been conspiring to turn red. You’re already running late since you had to stay after work, and your “short-cut” ended up having a detour that diverted you 15 minutes out of the way. You get to the door, swing it open, and walk-in. Home Sweet Home, and finally time to rela…

That’s when reality sets in and the realization occur that there has been no opportunity to clean up the messy house after the weekend. Plus, then the memory returns that you have been putting off doing the dishes all week.

But then, an even sweeter realization occurs in the back of your mind: it’s National No Housework Day! National No Housework Day is the perfect chance to let it all slide–and let tomorrow’s dishes worry about themselves.

History of National No Housework Day

Alright, it’s time to listen up! If there’s anything that almost anyone can relate to (and house spouses throughout history especially) it is the painful and unfortunate drudgery of housework. Sure, there might be a few people out there who actually enjoy housework, but certainly, they are in the minority–and they probably shouldn’t be trusted.

Admittedly, since modern conveniences came about, much of the world has come a long way from what it used to be like. Think about it, the floors of homes in certain regions didn’t have carpet or rugs, they were simply made of dirt. This meant that piles of rushes were thrown down to help mitigate the mess and dust of day-to-day life.

Even then, proper brooms didn’t really exist, so sweeping was a pain. Some were originally made out of ash handles with birch twigs tied on one end with stripped willow bark. Sure it worked, but even making the broom was work!

How about when there weren’t vacuum cleaners, and folks found themselves forced to literally take their rugs out, hang them in the sun (when there WAS sun) and beat them with a stick to ‘clean’ them?

Today, a great many people have tons of neat appliances to help them clean the house. Most people don’t have to haul water in to do dishes anymore. And yet, housework is easily still one of the most drugeriest drudgeries the modern world has to offer!

So it is important to remember that if people get sick of it today, then people have been getting sick of it forever.

It is with this in mind that National No Housework Day was created: to remind everyone that each person deserves a chance to let it all go every once in a while and relax in their (probably comfortably) cluttered but happy home.

How to Celebrate National No Housework Day

A day that is made for No Housework is certainly a day that is worth celebrating! Try out these ideas for enjoying the day and give a little rest to the regular hustle-bustle of taking care of a house:

Take Some Time to Enjoy Nature 

One great way to keep the pending housework from becoming bothersome is to get away from it! Spend some time outside, enjoying nature. Kick-off those shoes and take time to walk barefoot in the grass, all the while soaking up some of those positive electrical charges.

Or go for a hike. Listen to the birds singing and then sing or whistle back at them. Or just lie down in a hammock or on the grass and simply stare at the sky. Make shapes from the clouds. Do anything that keeps the mind away from the housework and chores that are waiting at home. They’ll be there later.

Do Something Frivolous 

Go Bowling. Drop by the arcade. Get a massage. Or do some delightfully unnecessary shopping. Take a nap. Play a board game. Do a crossword puzzle. Eat out at a restaurant (where someone else will clean up!). Do something silly or whimsical or completely frivolous. Whatever is done, it needs to be fun, relaxing and completely avoiding any mess that is at home!

Watch a Housework-Themed Film 

Since this day should yield a bit of free time, and the weather might not be conducive for going outside, consider watching a film that depicts the comedy (or tragedy!) of housework and domestic goddesses:

• The Help (2011). A period piece about the relationship between a young white woman who is an aspiring writer (played by Emma Stone) and the group of black domestic workers whose story she tells.
• Cinderella (2015). In this live version patterned after the original Disney animated film from 1950, Lily James depicts “Ella” who dreams of going to the ball to reunite with a handsome stranger.
• Mr. Mom (1983). This American comedy starring Michael Keaton depicts a dad who switches roles and takes over the running of the household when his wife goes to work.
• Housekeeping (1987). Starring Christine Lahti, this comedy depicts two teenagers who are left by their mother and sent to live with an eccentric aunt.

Do Anything But Housework! 

Do whatever you want that DOESN’T involve housework! No washing dishes, no folding laundry–not even putting laundry away! Just let it all go and don’t get all flustered. Instead, pour up a glass of wine (or just drink from the bottle if none are clean because…NO HOUSEWORK). Simply give into a day, or at least an evening, of leisure.