Bathtubs, shelves, and other mishaps...From my old blog "They Grow Like Weeds"

Monday, March 7, 2011

So, I've been told that one of the biggest challenges in a marriage is home remodeling, that if a marriage can withstand that it can withstand anything. I'm going to say I agree with that 100%! We have been working on our "work in progress"home for 3 1/2 years now. With the misfortune (or fortune) of our bathtub cracking and leaking water onto the floor and making our sub-floor a mushy danger zone supported by 2 x 4's, we have been forced to put in the much needed 2nd bathroom in our basement so that we can then gut and rebuild our main floor bathroom. This is a project I'm both thrilled about and dreading. I'm thrilled to soon be a "two bathroom family" with a whirlpool tub, ceramic tile, and a brand new toilet no family before us have ever sat on. Harley, my 9 year old daughter, is thrilled to get a tub she can lay down flat in! However, I dread the thought of not having a bathroom 3 feet from my bedroom door when I wake up at 3:00 A.M. feeling like my bladder is going to explode and I have to walk through the house, down the stairs and into the basement to use the new bathroom down there. This in itself is a nuisance, along with the fact that, despite the knowledge that Riley, my son and firstborn is sleeping in his bedroom in the basement, I am absolutely certain the Boogie Man is lurking there somewhere, waiting to pounce on me if I enter the basement after dark. So, looks like Rob may be making some late night trips to the basement with me to guard me from attackers...Maybe this will give him motivation to complete the bathroom project faster! See how things kind of work themselves out?
Tonight's project was the hanging of the shelf. I have wanted one of those cute, white wire shelves above my washer and dryer forever. I thought how nice and orderly it would be to have all of my bottles of laundry soap, bleach, and spot removers lined up neatly on that shelf instead of sitting in a dusty cluster on top of the dryer. I guess that part about me wanting to be able to reach the shelf, or more specifically, the things on the shelf, was something I'd failed to mention. Rob can reach just fine. Riley showed me he also could reach just fine. (Amazing how quickly 15 year old boys grow!) Me however? If I stand on the very tips of my toes, I can brush the edges of the Tide bottles just enough to get my hopes up, but not quite enough to actually grab the handle...It's the thought that counts though, right?
Something I've learned over the past year is this: Don't sweat the small stuff. It's hard to remember. I have great difficulty actually following that rule. But I'm trying because in this great big world with all of its problems is arguing over ceramic tile colors, the placement of a shelf, or deciding on the triangle or rectangle whirlpool tub really what matters? Nope, not at all. Instead, I need to remember that the guy who put up the shelf and the kids who are going to enjoy that whirlpool tub are what matter. As I type while I listen to Rob work away in the basement, I know that there will be many mishaps along the way, but in the whole big picture, that's what makes life fun...