Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Re: Work value by interests

[Rob Sandelin (floriferous]

My friend Marty said in effect that there are chores that have to be done
that  do not bring any particular  happiness....

Yes, the toilets  will need cleaning. Now here is a story that many people
have heard before from me in person. I once attended a large communities
gathering and  there was a sign up sheet for chores. Since I was late, all
the interesting jobs were  taken and of course cleaning the bathrooms was
the last item on the list.

Well to make a long story, much shorter, one of the people on the bathroom
team was a professional clown and a wonderful  person. His attitude of
irreverence and humor, made the job very fun. We  splashed water on each
other, made hilarious commentary about the bathrooms of the opposite sex,
sang ribald toilet songs, etc. We cleaned that bathroom till it shined and I
was sad when the task was done. It was truly the most fun I have ever had
cleaning a bathroom. I would do it again, with that attitude in a  second.
Just thinking about it several  years later brings me a smile remembering
how silly we got.

So when you have to clean the toilets, make it a game, make it fun, be
goofy, do what you can to lighten it up and do it with other people. This
way it will be at least tolerable, and together you can talk baseball or
politics while you work.

In fact, if I were the pope of cohousing, I would decree that no
objectionable job should ever be done alone. I once  visited a place where
all the tasks that had to be done were listed  on a big  sheet. Then
everyone  got to pick the tasks they wanted. The tasks that had no one
attached were evaluated carefully, and those  which HAD to be done  were
assigned  in teams where one persons role was specially assigned to be the
cheerleader! Later, in a conversation about which tasks were most
important, several  people said the cheerleaders were most important.


Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood Cohousing
Snohomish, WA

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