The Handyman

For forty years Gregger tried his best to be the fix-it man. He carried his handy tool kit around the house as if he knew what the hell he was doing, when, in reality, he didn’t have a clue. I just stood idly by, cheering him on, all the while whispering, “Call THE GUY!” Whether it was a clogged toilet, paint job, tile repair, or something more complex, he thought he could do it all. He would schlepp back and forth to Home Depot, venturing up and down the aisles, jabbering with the employees, sure to achieve the perfect result. In the end, sometimes he won, and other times…well, he called THE GUY! Now I’ve been left with the handy tool kit in hand. Gregger’s got to be chuckling at my inept attempts as I struggle with “his” chores. We often bantered over the fact that I couldn’t sweep worth a damn. He didn’t get my inadequate sweeping abilities, but what did I know? I was raised with an electric broom! Now I’m sweeping up a storm and I choose to believe he’s gloriously proud! Normally I would just call THE GUY, but now I’m googling, youtubing my way to handy dandy. Who would have thought?  I’m the girl who calls THE GUY!

 “When life throws curve balls at you, do not try to dodge them. They are meant to hit you, to mould you and to shape you to become the person you are meant to be. Enjoy the impact, smile and move on.”

So I strap on the belt, pick up the tools and conquer the task at hand!   

• I’ve become a pro at snaking toilets…no plungers for me!
• Unclogged a fully plugged bathtub…no plumber needed!
• After multiple tries, screaming fits, and a phone call to my brother, changed the air conditioning filter
• Touched up all my cabinets to sparkling new
• Scooped up dead animals (not exactly fix-it but WAY out of my territory!!!)
• Changed light bulbs (much more difficult than it sounds!)

And then, I called THE GUY…to paint, to fix the garage, to cut the trees, to do the tough stuff. But, I tried and I gave it my best shot.

The skies were sunny today but there was a rolling, thunderous noise as I entered Home Depot, undoubtedly Gregger laughing his head off at that glorious sight! All I needed were light bulbs but do you have any idea how many different kinds of bulbs there are? Holy cow! I’d like to call THE GUY to help me out, but there’s only ONE guy I have in my mind and he’s no longer available, so I will keep on trucking and make him proud. I’ve learned that just when you think you CAN’T, there’s always a way to find you CAN! My horoscope summed it best of all:  “the fastest way to learn something new about yourself is by exploring something that is unknown to you. This could be something universally intimidating, like skydiving, but it could also be something that is harmless to many but still a big question mark to you. It can be difficult to accept the fact that you could try something and not succeed at it right away. Check your ego at the door and dive into learning something new about your capabilities.”

WOW! I’m diving headfirst and this time I think I’ll land on my feet.