Zen and the Art of Home Repair

I have spent the last seven weeks dealing with the sudden and dramatic demise of an aged water heater and the resulting deluge. Said deluge that necessitated the tearing out and removal of all of the flooring; and the packing away into approximately 3,847 boxes –give or take the odd dozen boxes---of “stuff” and “things”.

My life, clearly, was in upheaval.

Oddly though, it wasn’t as upsetting as you might imagine. For one thing, it was just “stuff” and “things.” And none of the things that were damaged where of the irreplaceable, precious variety. I lost no pictures or keepsakes or any of the things that are dear beyond price. Everything that was damaged was just a “thing.” Shane would have told me, “You can always buy more ‘things’. You were probably in search of a ‘thing’ when you bought that one, so buy another. They make more ‘things’ every day.” Wise words, and true.

And as for the upheaval—it felt like my “outsides” finally matched my “insides.” It felt as though my house was just reflecting everything my heart had been experiencing over these last nine months. It felt kind of “normal” actually.

And now I find myself in a rebuilding phase, literally and metaphorically. The old, the known, and the comfortable have been stripped away and it is up to me to recreate my home, to refurnish my life, to decorate my soul. It is both terrifying and exhilarating.  

Because Life? It goes on.  

                     

It goes on.