Yes, that is what I have become. I spend money giddily on tooth implants, gold crowns, doctor's visits, creams of various sorts that promise to restore youth, shampoo that promises volume and shine all in one bottle!, and other things. The sad reality is that nature hates a vacuum....and nature considers leisure time as a vacuum. Now, when we were young, that vacuum was filled with dancing the night away, playing on the swings, romantic walks on the beach, and, of course, meaningful work, or studying for school or...fill in your favorite here.
Now, at this stage of my life, my leisure time is spent at the dentist's or doctor's office, or "taking care of myself" Ah well, I am grateful I still have health to take care of, hair to have cut, friends to check in on.....and who knows, maybe I'll go outside on this beautiful day and play in the dirt for a while.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
The House of several crises
We lived in the little house in Huntsville for 26 years. The house was built in the 50's and was a charming little brown frame/brick house. Over the years we added another bedroom and bath, a dining/office/den area, a carport and shop/storage area, replaced the carpets, and did a complete renovation of the kitchen. We never had to file any home insurance claim.
Then we moved to San Angelo and bought a brick house that was built in the 80's. To be honest, we bought the house because of the location: the back yard goes down in a series of rock ledges to the North Concho River...and on the other side of the river is a golf course. Within 6 weeks of moving into the house, we had to do a major repair in the master bath (removing the whirlpool tub which was on top of a pipe leak, jackhammering the foundation..a trench about 12 ft. long and 2 ft. wide and several feet deep was dug.) Then we had to have the bathroom completely redone. We also had to have the carpeting in the dressing areas, closets and master bedroom replaced. A rather large claim was filed...and paid.
A couple of years later, our house was hit by a major hail storm....new roof, new outside paint job, gutters replaced, several windows replaced, skylights replaced,etc...another major claim filed and paid.
Last May, we returned from a trip to find our living room carpet soaking wet, the downstairs office floor (it was a parquet floor) buckled and one closet flooded. A pipe in the utility closet had sprung a leak...(ironically we had had the hot water heater that was in that closet replaced with a tankless heater mounted outside the house because we feared that if the hot water heater went out while we were gone, the living room and downstairs would flood....) Another claim filed and paid.
So now we feel as if this house is jinxed. When the carpet in the living room had to be replaced because of the leak, we paid (not the insurance company) to replace the carpet in the two guest bedrooms with the same carpet that we were having in the living room. The bedroom carpets have "developed" a yellow streak across them from one wall to the other, and in one room several other smaller streaks have shown up.
We have now had 3 people come out (the owner of the carpet store, the sales rep and an inspector) to come out. They all assure us that the carpet will be replaced....all of it..living room, bedrooms halls etc. But the pace is slow. I hope to have it finished by next year sometime.
Ah, the joys of home ownership!
Then we moved to San Angelo and bought a brick house that was built in the 80's. To be honest, we bought the house because of the location: the back yard goes down in a series of rock ledges to the North Concho River...and on the other side of the river is a golf course. Within 6 weeks of moving into the house, we had to do a major repair in the master bath (removing the whirlpool tub which was on top of a pipe leak, jackhammering the foundation..a trench about 12 ft. long and 2 ft. wide and several feet deep was dug.) Then we had to have the bathroom completely redone. We also had to have the carpeting in the dressing areas, closets and master bedroom replaced. A rather large claim was filed...and paid.
A couple of years later, our house was hit by a major hail storm....new roof, new outside paint job, gutters replaced, several windows replaced, skylights replaced,etc...another major claim filed and paid.
Last May, we returned from a trip to find our living room carpet soaking wet, the downstairs office floor (it was a parquet floor) buckled and one closet flooded. A pipe in the utility closet had sprung a leak...(ironically we had had the hot water heater that was in that closet replaced with a tankless heater mounted outside the house because we feared that if the hot water heater went out while we were gone, the living room and downstairs would flood....) Another claim filed and paid.
So now we feel as if this house is jinxed. When the carpet in the living room had to be replaced because of the leak, we paid (not the insurance company) to replace the carpet in the two guest bedrooms with the same carpet that we were having in the living room. The bedroom carpets have "developed" a yellow streak across them from one wall to the other, and in one room several other smaller streaks have shown up.
We have now had 3 people come out (the owner of the carpet store, the sales rep and an inspector) to come out. They all assure us that the carpet will be replaced....all of it..living room, bedrooms halls etc. But the pace is slow. I hope to have it finished by next year sometime.
Ah, the joys of home ownership!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Life's work
There comes a time in one's life when one finally accepts two things:
I am not going to save the world.
I am not going to live forever.
These are harsh realities and often they send one into despair...or midlife crisis. If one is fortunate, the despair is overcome and one's life work can begin. There is a realization that, although most people cannot save the world or even a small part of it, it is within everyone's reach to act on the small stage. The whole world might not be saved, but perhaps one person's world might be changed for the better if we reach out a hand to help, open our hearts to hear and be willing to give of ourselves.
One person can make an impact on a child's life that will affect that child for the rest of his life. Help a child feel good about himself. Let a child know that you care for her. Listening to a child makes her feel important and valued.
We may not be able to save the world, but we can open up the world for a child!
I am not going to save the world.
I am not going to live forever.
These are harsh realities and often they send one into despair...or midlife crisis. If one is fortunate, the despair is overcome and one's life work can begin. There is a realization that, although most people cannot save the world or even a small part of it, it is within everyone's reach to act on the small stage. The whole world might not be saved, but perhaps one person's world might be changed for the better if we reach out a hand to help, open our hearts to hear and be willing to give of ourselves.
One person can make an impact on a child's life that will affect that child for the rest of his life. Help a child feel good about himself. Let a child know that you care for her. Listening to a child makes her feel important and valued.
We may not be able to save the world, but we can open up the world for a child!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)