It’s Not About The Dishes
Yes, the mental load struggle is very real, but so is the love.
In October of this year, I sat down in a simmer of frustration to bang out a manifesto on the mental load and its unbalanced state in my own marriage. I’d gone to bed exhausted the night before, while my husband stayed up late, and he’d neglected to tidy up after dinner yet again. I was irked and needed to tell someone about it, but since I strive to avoid excoriating my husband to our friends and family, I decided that the internet could be my listening ear. The internet can be good like that.
It wasn’t long before the claps started coming, and I felt all my frustration echoed back from other women. Most of the joy of venting is found in the camaraderie of others shouting out I hear you. This is me too. Your feelings are valid. Same here. I got you, girl. The sisterhood had my back.
Then the piece was featured on Medium. Not long after, it was included in a collection. My insecure little writer’s heart was delighted and dumbfounded. Wait…people are actually reading my stuff? I’m not shouting into the void? Then the applause and comments really started rolling in. There was sympathy, skepticism, and a fair number of “GIRL, SAME,” comments. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised at the number of people who advised me to end my marriage. After all, my piece was the only window into the…
