A Study of Impatience

For those of my Tribe, the old practice of asking forgiveness involved sitting in a darkened confessional and beginning with the words, "bless me Father, for I have sinned" - well it's been a long time since I participated in that ritual which caused no small amount of fear and anxiety.  Perhaps I, like many kids from that era fully expected the priest to jump to his feet while shrieking for all in church to hear, " You did WHAT???"Your penance is a million Our Father's and 500 Hail Mary's.

 In the spirit of the upcoming giving thanks together while sitting at table with those we may not be in harmony with, I think it's time for me to begin my pre meal meditation on being calm, being welcoming and having quick conversational changes mentally prepared in advance. While we won't be sharing with family this year, our guests are on the opposite side of several spectrums and have never shied from  and sharing whatever thought crosses their mind, no matter how divisive the topic.

My frayed nerves from our bathroom renovation are getting a fresh grating every day.  Yes I was gullible enough to believe their promises that the work would be completed before Christmas, now we have them admitting their cabinet measurements were incorrect and  have to be remade, at a 4-6 week delay.  I feel like the Grinch lamenting the noise of the Who's singing and playing instruments, except my house resounds with the banging an whoosh of saws, hammers and air compressors. So much force was expended to remove the old fixtures that sections of the kitchen ceiling collapsed.

A little drywall with your turkey? The inevitable dust has permeated every nook and flat surface in the house, I feel like we are living in a novel with Miss Havisham with all our belongings covered in white dust and white sheets. I know when the room is completed it will be the bathroom of my dreams, right now though it's just a nightmare of destruction.  Strange men arrive all day, some greet me, some don't, the main carpenter just grunts with occasional sighs like a depressed teenage girl, interspersed with explosive swearing and dropped tools. I am fearful of what my bedroom wood floors will look like when Todd leaves. Bless his heart.  Out of his hearing I have taken to calling him Shiva the Destroyer.

A perfectly good and functional bathroom, except the shower pan was leaking and the floor beginning to show black (mold). Despite our stated intentions to donate the existing fixtures to the Habitat for Humanity restore, Todd broke much and/or tossed things into the dumpster to sit in two feet of rainwater.

After Todd's sawzall cut the tub into sections

It's a wonderment how noisy de-construction is.

The ugly remains of the leaking shower floor

Isn't this why so many movies depend on comic despair of characters undergoing "home improvements"? I have told The Spousal Unit there will never be a next time, to which he gave a series of fist bumps, relieved not to have to pay for another project.  This undertaking bothers him not since he escapes to his office before Todd's not early morning arrivals. I on the other hand must be on hand to answer a hundred daily questions. My concentration has left me, and I fear I will never throw another pot on the wheel (successfully), today i threw my clay into a bag and then into a corner in a fit of picque since my skills have deserted me completely.  Oh Woe I whine, oh woe! To think I brought this upon myself - moving to a new home would have been easier. Maybe...

This is not a homeowner approved debris exit method, notice how close to the birdbath and ceramic totem the mess landed! 

However, the morning sunrise offered a moment of peace and beauty as it rose over the tree canopy, and a lone eagle called for the mother he should have followed south for the season.  Teenagers of all species are so stubborn, it's a bit of a wonder any survive.

I shall be giving Thanks this Thursday, that we have the ability to have a modern handicapped accessible bathroom built for my needs. And for friends to share a meal together, even though from the "other side of the aisle". May your day be full as well, of good foods and good friends. And good thoughts.
Happy Thanksgiving