Us women have the most important job when it comes to home projects

 

Us women have the most important job when it comes to home projects

20 April 2024

Have you ever had the dubious “honour” of assisting your husband or partner when he’s wearing his handyman-hat?

 

Now don’t get me wrong. A bit of home DIY is always an exciting thing. Especially if it’s a project that I’ve requested. If you catch my purely selfish drift.

 

Putting something up in the garden fills me with great excitement. Adding a repurposed shelf, a mirror, or a picture is awesome. And then I’m all eager. Usually asking for weeks before the handyman-hat gets donned and the task is done. And I so get it. For the handyman in question, one has to work up the energy or perhaps appetite to do such a job. Sometimes it’s actually easier to have a whole bunch of these type of things that need to be done. And then rather than stretching them out and doing the odd thing here and there, simply waiting until you’ve got a veritable collection of handyman chores that need to be accomplished before you dust off the tools and work up the appropriate amount of relish to get cracking and tackle it all together.

 

However…

 

Something unexciting like redoing the wiring on the toaster, or sorting out the messy bird’s nest of wires behind the TV does not even slightly fill me with enthusiasm at all.

 

Dreary to the extreme. Yet I do know, that these kinds of projects are equally essential. Yes, they’re tedious. But it’s important as well.

 

Now the problem comes in when I’m roped in to assist. I’m a helper by nature. Eagerly throwing myself into any task to aid someone. Always willing.

 

But when you have the questionable distinction of being responsible for holding screws in your hand, or handing tools to the handyman, it’s not all that thrilling at all. Then there’s the vacuuming afterwards to remove all of the debris. And usually, inevitably, there are some supposed essential and critical bits, that have somehow become surplus to requirements. Why are there so often screws and all manner of odd assortments left behind once something has been assembled or “fixed”? Perhaps the makers of such items like to just throw them in there. You know. To add a dangerous element of surprise and confusion. Drawing out the torture? Evil bastards!

 

Alas, as a seasoned handman-helper, I’ve become accustomed to this. Hence there’s always a random jar or old ice-cream tub in our garage. Filled with leftover bits and bobs. Who knows, one day they might even be needed.

 

So to every other handman-helper out there, I feel you. The pressure can be unbearable, but somebody has to do it.