More on those minor inconveniences…

A few weeks back, I wrote about how the world can feel like it is falling apart in the absence of some of life’s conveniences that we tend to take for granted.

The same blog spoke about my mate who was spun around in his car when a bus hit him. 

What I didn’t say was my mate from the crash was also project managing a kitchen remodelling in our home. Because of the accident my kitchen revamp has been seriously delayed. We have been living in a half destroyed kitchen for a few months…  

Suddenly on Monday of last week, things roared back into action. Tradies turned up on Monday as we rapidly emptied cupboards and drawers. 

Soon, and really without any notice the water was off to the kitchen, gas was shut off, the power to the area isolated and work started. 

On Wednesday, the cable between my rural internet satellite dish and our router also got accidentally cut. Despite my best efforts to solder it all back together it was not something I could recover – a technician was required. 

Quite suddenly and without much warning, it was like we were camping. But the world had not stopped moving… Getting kids to school, running online meetings, etc.  

There were some complaints I can tell you. Including on the first night, yours truly. 

It has been interesting to watch the ebbs and flows of complaints about the situation in the household. 

When there is stress of some kind, it becomes harder. Less stress, the inconvenience of it all is ok. Everything is taking longer, especially in the mornings and at dinner time. ‘More time’ is needed for anything food related. 

I am also feeling like some of the coping strategies that I have been feeding myself over the years are giving me some frames of reference to consider. 

Stoics talk about taking a break from comforts and living rough for a week, denying oneself to put in perspective ‘the worst that can happen’ should you become, say, homeless. ‘Is this all I was worried about?’. 

This minor inconvenience also offered a chance for a spell of gratitude. Yes we may be without a kitchen sink and a gas hob, but we have a roof, heat, light, power. So all and all it’s not so bad, right? 

The internet is back on again and I know that in the next week or so the kitchen sink will be back in. Life will become ‘easy’ again. 

But I do wonder how long it will take for the novelty to fade, and for family and I to find something else to be dissatisfied with…