SIDEWAYS

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN LIFE GOES SIDEWAYS?  THIS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FEW MONTHS FOR ALL OF US.  AND WHEN I SAY ‘ALL’ I MEAN FOR THE WORLD OF COURSE.

BUT SOMETIMES OUR WORLDS ARE SMALL AND STILL VERY DIFFICULT. SOMETIMES IT’S JUST TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE DAY. 

YESTERDAY I WAS REMINDED OF A CHILDREN’S BOOK THAT I USED TO READ TO OUR KIDS CALLED ‘ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY’. HA HA.

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY NOBODY DIED BUT,ALAS, I EVEN FOUND OUT ABOUT A FRIEND DYING. UGH. (CANCER AND SADNESS WERE THE CAUSES I BELIEVE).

ANYWAY, A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WE HAD A HUGE BUT QUICK STORM HERE IN OUR CITY AND OUR NEWLY RENOVATED BASEMENT PARTIALLY FLOODED. WE HAD A MASSIVE INFLUX OF WATER WHILE COMPANY WAS HERE LAST YEAR TOO AND THANKS BE TO GOD WE RECEIVED ENOUGH INSURANCE MONEY TO REPLACE  ALMOST EVERYTHING DOWN THERE…INCLUDING THE WALLS! 

SO AFTER WORKING OUT A ‘FIX’ FOR WHERE WE THOUGHT THE WATER WAS COMING IN (OVERWHELMED WINDOW WELLS) WE WERE QUITE SHOCKED TO SEE WATER COMING IN FROM A DIFFERENT AREA THIS YEAR. WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THE BLESSINGS EVEN IN THIS SITUATION (NO CARPETS RUINED, US BEING HOME IN TIME TO QUICKLY CLEAN UP, ETC.)AND NEXT WEEK WE ARE HAVING AQUARIAN RENOVATIONS COME IN TO JACK HAMMER FOR US ANOTHER SUMP PUMP TO GET THE WATER OUT QUICKLY IF IT EVER HAPPENS AGAIN. 

SO: YESTERDAY I WAS PARTICULARLY SORE IN MY BACK(ARTHRITIS AND FALL RELATED PAIN I THINK) AND I DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH IN MY HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE TUB (WITH JETS!) TO EASE THE PAIN. WHEN I WAS READY TO GET OUT I PRESSED THE DOOR RELEASE BUTTON….AND IT DIDN’T WORK. FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR OR SO I WAS STUCK IN THE TUB …WHICH IRONICALLY ADDED TO THE STRESS THAT I PROBABLY HOLD IN MY BACK..HA HA. WE HAVE COMPANY THIS WEEK(MY SON AND HIS FAMILY)SO MY HUSBAND WAS UPSTAIRS READING TO OUR GRANDSONS AND OUR SON AND DAUGHTER IN LAW WERE IN THE HOME TOO. BUT OUR ROOM IS IN THE BASEMENT AWAY FROM ALL GUESTS AND NO ONE COULD HEAR IF I YELLED. I ALSO KNEW THAT IF I TRIED TO STAND UP AND CLIMB OVER THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE I WOULD SLIP AND BREAK A HIP. UGH! 

FINALLY THE BUTTON WORKED AND I WAS ABLE TO CLIMB OUT…..AND KILL (SORRY/NOT SORRY) THE GIANT SPIDER THAT WAS CREEPING TOWARDS ME! 

I TOOK THE ELEVATOR(WHICH I ALSO GOT STUCK IN THE OTHER DAY..WHEN THE BATTERY DIED!!!) UPSTAIRS AND STARTED TO SEE THE HUMOUR IN THE SITUATION. SHEESH. 

THAT AFTERNOON OUR NEIGHBOUR CAME OVER TO SAY THAT WE HAD WATER RUNNING FROM OUR HOUSE INTO HIS YARD. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA ? 

CAN YOU BELIEVE THE BAD LUCK(?) BUT WE HAD AN OUTSIDE IRRIGATION PIPE BURST …AND YOU GUESSED IT…FLOOD THE BASEMENT.  

THIS TIME WE DID HAVE OUR GUEST ROOM CARPETING GET SOAKED AND ONCE AGAIN WE HAD TO SHOP VAC THE WATER OUT OF THAT PART OF THE BASEMENT.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN LIFE GOES SIDEWAYS? 

DO YOU CRY? (I WANTED TO!) DO YOU GET ANGRY? (THERE WAS SOME OF THAT FOR SURE) 

WHAT I TRY TO DO IS LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE THINGS IN EVERY SITUATION AND WHEN I FIND THEM I THANK GOD THAT IT WASN’T WORSE.  SO WE FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM(JUST ROTTEN LUCK) WHILE WE WERE HOME.(A BLESSING BECAUSE IF WE WERE AWAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE)

WE HAD HELP TO CLEAR OUT THE BEDS DOWN THERE BECAUSE OF OUR SON AND MY HUSBAND DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING. THEY THOUGHT FAST AND GOT EVERYTHING UP AND OUT OF THE WAY. (I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE SAVED THE CARPETING BUT WE ARE WAITING TO FIND OUT IF THE WALLS HAVE MOISTURE IN THEM).

WE HAVE OUR SENSES OF HUMOUR SO WE CAN LAUGH AT THE CRAZINESS IMMEDIATELY. PHEW.

AND WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE MEANS TO BE ABLE TO CALL SOMEONE TO HELP US FIX THE SITUATION WITH INDUSTRIAL FANS ,ETC. RIGHT AWAY TOO.

MANY BLESSINGS IN THIS TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD , DAY. 

GRATEFUL I HAVE FRIENDS WHO PRAYED FOR US WHEN I TOLD THEM ABOUT IT ALL(AND MADE ME LAUGH) . GRATEFUL I HAVE FAMILY WHO LOVE US AND MADE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION. GRATEFUL I HAVE FAITH THAT TODAY WILL BE A BETTER DAY. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A BIT LESS EXCITEMENT TODAY…HA HA. 

WISH US LUCK!  AND NEVER LOSE HOPE.