Battling Time: It’s often said that time is the new “gold.” People just don’t have time these days to accomplish all that needs to get done. We run at breakneck speeds all the time. And yet, we shortchange ourselves in so many ways. We rush through projects and then make errors which only cause us to waste more time. Or we cram projects into unrealistic timeframes and spend more time worried about the clock than getting the project done right.
Last Sunday after I made the call to figure out what our family was doing for dinner, my parents mentioned that two of their toilets were acting up. Listening to my dad, it sounded like both toilets only needed a new flapper and flush valve kit. They told me about this once before but it slipped my mind and simply got pushed down “THE LIST.” Both toilets were starting to top off their water tanks frequently and make all sorts of noises while doing so. Based on what my dad was saying, it sounded like it would be a simple fix … one I could accomplish in an hour. With that in mind, I gauged my afternoon on a trip to Lowes to pick up supplies and then needing an hour to replace both flush valves and flappers. Easy peasy!
Because I was putzing around the house early Sunday afternoon, I lost some track of time and left a little later than I wanted too. The pressure was now on because I had to stop, pick up the supplies and then still try to get both toilets fixed. Being that I pass a Home Depot on Hall Road and had some Home Depot gift cards, I decided to stop there first to pick up what I needed. I made the mad dash into the store with footsteps pounding the pavement with the great determination I was going to be in and out of there in a matter of minutes. Well, forget that idea! Anytime I walk into a Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, Costco, etc., I’m like a kid in a toy store at Christmas. Warp speed gets checked out at the entrance door and life goes into slow motion. I’m sure there’s some official diagnosis about such a syndrome! What was to be a 5 minute stop turned into a half-hour. I made it over to the toilet repair area and looked at all the options. But honestly, I hate all those options because then I have to look up reviews and try to figure out what would be the best option for me knowing full well that with my luck and history I would inevitably buy the wrong thing! It’s just part of my DNA. As I was looking at the shelf full of flush valve and flapper kits, I realized now why I should have stopped and brought one of their old flappers with me. I wasn’t anticipating there being a 2” and a 3” kit. I hemmed and hawed and decided the 2” was my size because it was by far the most common. Certainly, my parents’ toilet wouldn’t be uncommon and need a 3” kit. So, grabbing a few items and spare parts in case I messed up, I meandered over to the check-out area, paid and then passed through the exit door. As soon as I hit the exit door, I went back into warp speed. Seriously, there must be something in the air in those stores that causes me to waste so much time!
I got to my parents and grabbed a few tools. This was going to be easy! With kits in hand and a bunch of other supplies I brought over to the house, I entered the condo, said my hellos and went right to work. My dad had his flashlight handy and was ready to help (it’s ironic how the roles get reversed because I once was the one holding the light and watching). I took off the first lid and wanted to scream to high heaven! I now only had 55 minutes to accomplish my task before we absolutely had to leave for dinner. And, of course, I needed the 3” kit. I’m not sure why I even tried, but I sat and played around with the 2” flapper trying to see if it would work. Newsflash: no matter how hard you try, a 2” flapper isn’t going to work with a 3” hole. UGH! “Dad, how much time do I have?” “50 Minutes,” was the answer. After a fair amount of grumbling and groaning, I told my parents I had to run back to Home Depot. Thankfully, there is a Home Depot about 4 miles from their house. As I was grumbling and groaning, mostly because I was so focused on getting both projects done that day and the fact running out to Home Depot was going to cut into my available time to fix both toilets, it was obvious my mood was quickly changing. So I did what I always do: grabbed a stash of chocolate! As I was packing up the stuff to return to Home Depot and grumbling about it, my mom tried to soften the blow a bit. “You know, Mike,” she said as she tugged at my arm with a huge smile, “just be thankful you’re not doing this at Cindy’s house!” As first I was perplexed but then I realized what she was saying. Typically, this type of stuff ALWAYS happens to me at my sister Cindy’s house and that’s an issue because the closest Lowes or Home Depot is at least a half hour away. Sure, there’s the Almont DO-it Center, but they’re not always open when I’m working on my projects. “Yes, you’ve got a point mom,” I said (but I was still grumbling under my breath). In the end, I was able to get only one of the toilets fixed. At least I now had the correct parts for the next trip to the house. These DIY (do it yourself) projects are always a learning process for me. Who would have thought there were 2” and 3” flappers? Maybe that’s why the familyhandyman.com site said to bring the old flapper to the store! When will I learn? Maybe … just maybe … one day (probably when I have more time) I’ll actually listen to their sage advice!
Evening Prayer in Church: Please remember that we are now gathering in Church Monday through Thursday each week at 7 p.m. to pray evening prayer. The concept is that we gather together as a community in prayer and then go off to our respective places to conduct our meetings, business or events. This may necessitate a change in the start time of some of your evening meetings so you can gather first at 7 p.m. for prayer. If your group has an early start time like 6 or 6:30 p.m., your agenda should now include a 15 minute break so you can participate in evening prayer. Please know, however, that you are invited to pray evening prayer with us regardless of whether or not you have an evening meeting. Yes, all are welcome! Plus, it’s always a great grace to conclude one’s day by giving praise and thanks to God by praying the official prayer of the Church!