My apron strings
I wear aprons a lot these days. I wear one when I cook, when I clean, when I do dishes, when I give the kids a bath…in other words, quite often. I like keeping my clothes clean underneath, but there’s more to it than that.
Like most roles we play, wearing a costume helps us play the part more easily. If I dress in yoga pants and half-pyjamas all day, I quickly feel that my current “job” of home-making and childcare is diminished in value. When I don’t feel good about my appearance, I don’t feel good about the work I’m doing. It may sound shallow but it’s true. If I am showered, properly dressed, and wearing an apron when I cook and take care of the kids and house, I feel in control and and can even have fun with the role I’m currently playing. Take away the costume? Not so much. I think there’s power in what we wear in relation to what we want to accomplish.
Every time I tie my apron strings I also feel a connection to all the other women in history who have tied aprons on before getting down to work. (I should add and/or men here, of course.) It’s the same kind of connection I feel when breastfeeding my baby: I’m part of a network of women doing the same thing. Thinking this way is strengthening when things get tedious/monotonous. I am in my current place in time and history, and as I tie my apron strings I like to think about all the other people who have stood/are standing where I am.
