I just completed a long day of chores and errands around the house, and although I do feel tired, it's not the same stressful, agitated feeling as if I had spent the same length of time doing my professional work.
I'm sure it is in part because anything you do strictly for you and your family is going to be more rewarding than what you're paid to do for others. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things I love about my job, and I love the sense of satisfaction that I get. But there is something about taking care of your family that is profoundly satisfying.
I've taken to calling my chores and duties around the house "domestic bliss". I worry that it may sound sarcastic, but I try to mean it. I want to be cheerful when I do laundry, dishes, and other such tasks. It says in the bible that God loves a cheerful giver; and I get that. If I grumbled and begrudged the work around here, I would end up bitter, and knowing me, I would start keeping track of what other people contributed. That's no way to care for one's loved ones.
Don't get me wrong. I am profoundly lazy, and there are many days I don't feel like doing anything. I need down time as much as the next person. However, I feel that by adopting the attitude of domestic bliss for my contributions to my family, makes it easier and makes the effort an act of love.
One other point that I think plays into this. I was alone for so long. Painfully, enormously, torturously alone for most of my life. Being adopted left a bit of a hole in my heart, and despite having a great family and some very special friends, it wasn't enough. Alone was my defining personal characteristic. And I found love later in life than most others. I wasn't married until my late thirties, as many of my friend were actually sending their kids off to college. However, even though it was a long, painful wait, I hit the jackpot with the person I did finally get to fall in love with.
All of that to say, when you've been thirsty for decades and you finally get a wonderful, refreshing, healing drink- you don't complain when you have to wash the cup.
I'm grateful for all of my domestic bliss and having a family to care for.