My Cinderella

I finally bit on the proverbial bullet a few months ago and decided that I needed help in maintaining my home.  I can take care of the laundry and the dishes and feeding myself--even dusting--but the bigger issues were going undone.  Some of them backed up, spiraling out of my control, which contributed to my growing sense of worthlessness.  In short, I decided that I needed a cleaning person.  No...not JUST a cleaning person.  I needed a Cinderella.

I reached out on a local Facebook page.  Immediately thereafter, my grandchildren arrived for a visit (which is rare), so I never really checked back on FB.  What I got, however, were two responses on FB Messenger from women who clean.  I responded to both, saying I would get back to them.  Only one actually followed up.  So, when the kids left, I contacted her.  We met.  I checked her references.  We agreed on prices and set up a schedule.  And that's how I met Cinder-Debbie.

Deb doesn't work for a cleaning service.  She is an independent worker.  She's in her early 60s--a little slip of a thing--with a Type A personality and energy to burn.  She is separated from her husband.  She is helping to support a live-in adult son with recovering addiction issues.  She has daughters and grandchildren, too.  But here's the deal:  she is totally aware of my issues (since she cleans for other old folks), anticipates what needs to be done, and does it!

To my utter amazement and gratefulness, she doesn't just do house cleaning.  She also does yard work.  She likes things to look nice.  So, today, with leaves totally covering my yard, I hired her to come (extra) to blow my leaves to the curb.  (Where I live in Plainfield, IN, the city has a free service that vacuums up leaves that are blown or raked to the curb.)  She's using her own blower!

Yes, I know I am paying her.  And yes, I am aware that some people prey on old folks.  But not Cinder-Debbie.  For instance, when she was here two weeks ago to clean, she noticed that I had a quart jar full of pennies.  She volunteered to take it to her bank to cash it in.  Today, she brought me the proceeds but was horrified that they didn't give the jar back to her and was determined to replace it.  (FYI, I have a ton of empty quart jars in a closet.)  She also brought a new rug to put inside my front door because my old rug had lost its rubber backing and was making a mess, slipping all over the place.  I said, "That rug had to have cost at least $20."  She said she would NEVER pay that kind of money for something like that, and would not tell me how much she did pay.  Also, when she is here, she gets really nervous if she sets something down on the floor, worried that I will trip over it.

Today--right now, as I type--she has blown the leaves, has picked up twigs, has raked the leaves into a vacuum-acceptable pile, and has cut down/pulled out the dead stuff under my fence.  I didn't ask her to do all of that.  She says she loves to do outside work...that it is her "therapy".

God bless the woman!  My Cinder-Debbie has become a welcome member of my extended family.  I consider myself blessed that we "serendipitously" found each other.  If she were just doing a job, I would pay her and be done with it.  But this woman is going above and beyond.  She is now a friend!