This past week, with my summer working positions complete and the next school year on the horizon, I was able to focus my attention on my house in order to complete much needed projects and repairs. In the midst of the week as I hung closet doors and created backyard drainage to stop my dogs from mudwrestling, our toilet took its refusal to fill to a new level of perfection. It had been testing us for a few weeks, ever since the plumber came to fix our well-meter pipe leak. I had been able to apply a bandage by adjusting this and moving that to make it work. But this week, it decided to complete its decent, and we found ourselves filling the tank manually by dumping the trash can filled with water from the tub into the tank after each use. Because the machine had been taking its time getting to the point of complete disfunction, I assumed this week that the inevitable solution was to completely change the toilet. Thursday night I lay in bed thinking about the expense and the job ahead. I had done my reading to learn how to install a new toilet, and I felt prepared for the challenge ahead.
Fast forward to Friday morning...new day, new perspective. I decided to look up the information about why my toilet might be refusing to refill. Of the many videos available, one man told me that the fix was easy. He suggested that a part from Home Depot that would cost me $6.95 would save the expense and time of the full replacement. Since that guy became my new best buddy, I headed to Home Depot to find what I needed.
Side note: when the kids and I moved to our new home almost five years ago, I wandered the aisles of Home Depot with tears streaming down my face trying to ascertain all I would need to maintain our house, while feeling so utterly out of place that I itched to leave as quickly as possible. I didn't talk to anyone, I didn't ask any questions, hell...I don't think I looked up at all. Well, that is no longer my Home Depot persona! Now when I need a trip to Home Depot, my favorite time is early in the morning when all the contractors are there getting ready for the day ahead. I bring the sunshine and I ask my questions. Confession: I might even know a few of the workers by name...with or without their nametags.
I imagine if you got this far in my musings, you are wondering why this post, that began with my passion for reading and learning, has turned into a recount of a faulty toilet and a dropping of a mere $6.95 to fix it. So here it is. For $6.95 I was able to replace a part in my toilet. Immediately after turning the water back on, the tank filled. The first day of my victory, I was taking a bow and my daughter suggested holding my self-praise until the toilet's integrity was tested and our bathroom didn't flood. Here we are, two days and many, many flushes later, and the fix stands. "So what?" you say...well...
Our current state of our country and the world, in so many ways, is reflected in the story of my toilet. Yes, much of it feels as though we are taking our values and flushing them away...but that might be an entirely different post. For our purposes here, we really need to decide, do we need a quick fix or a full replacement?
Does our current world need a bandage or a lobotomy?
This answer is not going to be easily attained. It is going to take incredible amounts of information through reading, communication and deliberately stepping outside of our comfort zone. Keep in mind, my journey to find the fix to my toilet began almost five years ago by meandering the aisles of Home Depot with tears in my eyes. I was out of my element, feeling that all eyes were on me and judging my every move. I was afraid to ask questions of the experts there for fear that I would seem ignorant or foolish. Sound familiar?
Anyone paying attention and feeling called to be part of the solution these days is likely finding themselves in situations filled with the experience of similar feelings. I sure hope that's you! Racism, pandemic, politics, education, economy, you name it...there is need for repairs. And at this point, we are all trying to figure out if our system needs a bandage or a lobotomy. And just as there were numerous videos telling me how I needed to go about fixing my toilet issues, there are numerous opinions, coming from various walks of life, each vying to be the solution to the ailment you are studying.
So be patient, be open, be vigilant and be ready. Be informed! Be inquisitive! Be courageous! Whether we need a bandage or a lobotomy, the fix will be found. Might it need testing, tweaking and further work? Absolutely! The work is never done! That's the blessing of being alive! Embrace it, and let's go!
