I hate to be "schooled" by one of my children. What I mean by this is that sometimes the words that I so often echo to them come back to my own ears, and appropriately so.
The story starts last week. I had an old washer and dryer that were for the most part doing their job. When our washer went out about a year ago some dear friends gave us their old one to get us through, it was working well so we just kept on using it as we didn't want to go out and spend a bunch of money on a new one (and at the time didn't have the funds to do so). After saving up the money for the replacement we knew was going to be ineveitable, we thought we would just wait until the washer finally quit working to buy a new one. However, it was my dryer that went out on me. Not a biggie right? I do have a clothesline that I prefer to use anyway. As it went though when the dryer went out, I was already behind by several loads (when you have a family this size one day without a load of wash will put you in the rears!) Okay, so I will just wash and then hang to dry the clothes until we can find a dryer.
Not so much.... it rained off and on for the two days following the break down. So now I had a load of wash that had been completed but was unable to be dried (and trust me we took that thing-the dryer- apart and tried everything we knew to fix it). And hubby was working a few days in a row, really long shifts, so I had to wait for him to help me as I certainly cannot lift a dryer solo.
Okay, so 3 days have passed and I am desperate for a dryer (did I mention that laundry piles up fast around here?) Hubby and I searched craigs list and some other places as we do not use credit cards and do not want to go into debt for a washer and dryer but I did want a nice replacement set that matched. We found a set that we liked from a guy who re-builds washers and dryers and off we went. After making the purchase and heading home I have to admit I was pretty excited, I was now going to have a matching set of pretty appliances (the other ones were not from the same decades and were different colors to boot)
We got home moved all the appliances around and learned first that the new set were an extremely tight fit. We learned second that the washer did not work, some computer error message. So I had gone from having a working washer and broken dryer to a new broken washer and working dryer....grrr... We called the guy we made the purchase from and he ran over with a second washer to replace the first. It worked at the start of the cycle, but as it went through its wash cycle the computer board became more and more erratic until it dove into the spin cycle and sounded like a jet plane was landing in my kitchen! UGH!!! Oh, and did I mention that the dryer started to display an error message too? By this point I have to admit I was starting to stomp around the house in a bit of a temper tantrum and probably resembling my toddler more than I would like to admit.
That's when it came, the schooling. My 14 year old said, and I quote, "Mom, you still need to be thankful. You have water, you have a home, and we still have clothes to wear. Be thankful for all of that." She wasn't being a smart aleck, she was simply repeating the words she has so often heard me tell her. And, she's right.
So, there, I am choosing to be thankful. I am here whining and fussing about a washer and dryer, but there are mothers all over this world who don't even have enough food to eat. Mothers who dont have clean water for their children to drink and not even clothes for their children to wear and I and am whining like a spoiled brat.
Therefore I am choosing thankfulness. It is a choice. If I choose to focus on all of the things I am so very blessed with and thankful for, the things that are not going right begin to pale in comparison. I find that we have to make this choice often, to be thankful. We live in a world of entitlement and any other mother I would tell this story too would agree with my irritation and frustrations and tell me I was totally entitled to those feelings. But, am I really? I don't think I will dwell there. I think I will choose thankfullness. I will be able to get another set of appliances in a few days time and the man we purchased from promised to make things right. I am thankful we have the funds to purchase these appliances that save us so much time and labor. I am thankful I have all these dirty clothes piled up because they represent all the people in this home whom I love living out each day here with me. I am thankful I can heat up a cup of tea and go take a hot shower to start my day.
Even if I have to wear mismatched socks because most of my socks are still dirty.
The story starts last week. I had an old washer and dryer that were for the most part doing their job. When our washer went out about a year ago some dear friends gave us their old one to get us through, it was working well so we just kept on using it as we didn't want to go out and spend a bunch of money on a new one (and at the time didn't have the funds to do so). After saving up the money for the replacement we knew was going to be ineveitable, we thought we would just wait until the washer finally quit working to buy a new one. However, it was my dryer that went out on me. Not a biggie right? I do have a clothesline that I prefer to use anyway. As it went though when the dryer went out, I was already behind by several loads (when you have a family this size one day without a load of wash will put you in the rears!) Okay, so I will just wash and then hang to dry the clothes until we can find a dryer.
Not so much.... it rained off and on for the two days following the break down. So now I had a load of wash that had been completed but was unable to be dried (and trust me we took that thing-the dryer- apart and tried everything we knew to fix it). And hubby was working a few days in a row, really long shifts, so I had to wait for him to help me as I certainly cannot lift a dryer solo.
Okay, so 3 days have passed and I am desperate for a dryer (did I mention that laundry piles up fast around here?) Hubby and I searched craigs list and some other places as we do not use credit cards and do not want to go into debt for a washer and dryer but I did want a nice replacement set that matched. We found a set that we liked from a guy who re-builds washers and dryers and off we went. After making the purchase and heading home I have to admit I was pretty excited, I was now going to have a matching set of pretty appliances (the other ones were not from the same decades and were different colors to boot)
We got home moved all the appliances around and learned first that the new set were an extremely tight fit. We learned second that the washer did not work, some computer error message. So I had gone from having a working washer and broken dryer to a new broken washer and working dryer....grrr... We called the guy we made the purchase from and he ran over with a second washer to replace the first. It worked at the start of the cycle, but as it went through its wash cycle the computer board became more and more erratic until it dove into the spin cycle and sounded like a jet plane was landing in my kitchen! UGH!!! Oh, and did I mention that the dryer started to display an error message too? By this point I have to admit I was starting to stomp around the house in a bit of a temper tantrum and probably resembling my toddler more than I would like to admit.
That's when it came, the schooling. My 14 year old said, and I quote, "Mom, you still need to be thankful. You have water, you have a home, and we still have clothes to wear. Be thankful for all of that." She wasn't being a smart aleck, she was simply repeating the words she has so often heard me tell her. And, she's right.
So, there, I am choosing to be thankful. I am here whining and fussing about a washer and dryer, but there are mothers all over this world who don't even have enough food to eat. Mothers who dont have clean water for their children to drink and not even clothes for their children to wear and I and am whining like a spoiled brat.
Therefore I am choosing thankfulness. It is a choice. If I choose to focus on all of the things I am so very blessed with and thankful for, the things that are not going right begin to pale in comparison. I find that we have to make this choice often, to be thankful. We live in a world of entitlement and any other mother I would tell this story too would agree with my irritation and frustrations and tell me I was totally entitled to those feelings. But, am I really? I don't think I will dwell there. I think I will choose thankfullness. I will be able to get another set of appliances in a few days time and the man we purchased from promised to make things right. I am thankful we have the funds to purchase these appliances that save us so much time and labor. I am thankful I have all these dirty clothes piled up because they represent all the people in this home whom I love living out each day here with me. I am thankful I can heat up a cup of tea and go take a hot shower to start my day.
Even if I have to wear mismatched socks because most of my socks are still dirty.
