The sky Is Falling

I had a short texterstion with friend Dave last night. He posted on Facebook that a "section of roof is coming off", or words to that meaning. So, I texted him to ask what was up. It turns out it is a pretty small thing, or as I joked nothing that requires FEMA and Al Roker to respond.
His response is one I have heard myself say a number of times. "Yeah, but it's just one more thing."

Yesterday cleaning my house up for a soiree we are hosting tonight, I was fraught with embarrassment! The door frames and hallway upstairs still aren't done being prepped and painted, the set of windows off the deck is only a third done and was hastily covered with primer last fall when it got too cold to proceed and I wanted to protect the wood from winter. The corner bead on the kitchen counters is coming unstuck and looks a mess.The furniture is looking pretty shabby due to animals and use and being moved a bunch of times and my driveway is still crumbling and leading to a garage that continues to molder slowly into the ground.

I hope my friends don't pass a hat before they leave. I don't want them to judge me because my house isn't new and nice like theirs.

But to look at all the flaws is to look past the well manicured lawn, the healthy tulips that have popped, spreading color throughout the landscaped beds. Why look past the neatly trimmed privets or freshly painted porch? They look fine. And the new awning is a perfect match. Sure, it leads to a door that needs to be replaced, but there again why look past the good to see the bad.

All the things that need to be fixed or finished in my house require two things I have not had historically a lot of. Time and money. I am sitting a little better on time these days, but unfortunately no better on money. I always look at people on game shows with envy because that $10,000 they won would change my life. I know someone who won $50,000 on a game show and there was no discernible benefit. What I could do with that money...

But I don't have it. And I like this life, I like this house and I will get these things done. Progress will be slow, but I mostly like the work. It will be expensive, but somehow we have always found a way. At the end it will be time to start all over again, providing we are still here, and able.

I told Dave that life is just a series of 'things'. Some of them memorable because they are terrible, some because they are wonderful and the rest involves the couch and the TV.

I for one am going to keep making the effort to see the good and not look past it to the bad.