It’s okay to ask for help. There’s no shame in it.

In all honesty, I’m not the neatest person in the world. I’m more of an Oscar than a Felix. But I’m also someone who knows his limitations, and will ask for help when I need it.

And sometimes it takes a swift kick in the keister to get me to ask for help.

Case in point.

At one point in time, I used to take my dirty clothes to the local laundromat and spend two hours washing and drying them. The laundromat was a bit of a crapshoot – sometimes the washing machine would just snack on your quarters; other times the washer would spin with NO water flowing through; other times your clothes were damaged by the copious amounts of bleach left in there by the previous user.

And when I fractured my ankle three years ago, I couldn’t drive to the laundromat to wash my clothes. So I looked around, and found a laundry service (Best Cleaners) that will pick up my clothes and wash them and fold them and return them to me. They do a great job, and it gives me back two hours a week that I used to waste at the laundromat.

I’m also someone who’s grown up in a house where my parents didn’t keep the place tidy. I mean, it wasn’t an episode of Hoarders or anything like that, but I know it affected me. It really and honestly did.

So a couple of years ago, I searched the Craigslist ads for someone who would come to my place and give it a good solid scrubbing at a reasonable price. I had one girl who did a very good job – but she unfortunately developed long COVID and had to give up her cleaning business. Eventually, however, I found two women who work together to clean my place from ceiling to floor – and they do a fantastic job. And they’re reasonably priced.

And for any of you who start cackling, “Well, Chuck, you could save some money and use a vacuum cleaner and a broom yourself, you lazy ;man,” I say, “Yeah, I could. But this is more efficient for me.”

It’s not like I’m Monty Moneybags or anything, that I can just throw my ducats around for all. But when someone else is washing my clothes, or someone else is cleaning my home, that means I can work on other things at that moment – writing articles, freelance projects, things that make me happy and fulfilled. Plus, I know that the money I pay to use these services helps stimulate the economy. The cleaning crew clean other houses and apartments, just as they do mine, and this work helps them earn a good living. The laundry service ensures that my clothes aren’t ruined by crappy, malfunctioning coin-op laundromat places.

And tell me this – during a snowstorm, how many times have you said to yourself, as you’re tossing that big mound of shoveled snow to the side, “I wish there was some kid who needed a few dollars who I could pay to shovel my sidewalk.” Or when you’re outside on a beautiful day, not enjoying the sunshine because you’re busy mowing your lawn or raking your leaves, do you say, “There must be some enterprising person out there who would take care of my grass if I gave them some payment.” Right?

All I’m saying is … I’m grateful for these people and these companies. Our economy right now is still kinda iffy … and if I’m able to help someone out, even in stuff like this, then that’s perfectly fine for me.

Besides … in the end, my apartment is clean as a whistle, and my clothes are clean and fresh and hanging in my closet and folded in my dresser.

And there isn’t a single stitch of laundry that’s been burned by bad bleach or a busted basket at the coin-op.

And I’m definitely good with that.

Trust me on this.