PATIENCE

Patience

 

"Family will be here in a few days. Could you do something simple for me?"

"Sure."

Just three screws….to fix the rod….to hang the drapes…to make the living room look so much better."

"Sure. When?"

"Now."

So, late in the day, I got a chair in place to climb on and get high enough so I could do the work.

Wobbly chair.

Time to get the battery-charged screw driver.

Not charged.

Time to get the hand-turned one.

Doesn't fit the provided screws.

Search…..ah, here is a different one that will fit enough to make this work.

Sure.

Now, where do they go….

"Remember to keep it level.

Oops that won't do, the curtains are longer than that.

Finally I put pencil marks on the wall just to get them in the right places.

(And now I am beginning to glisten a bit with sweat.)

And now I try to screw the first one in…and hit something very hard.

Metal facing?

Oh, well, I will try to get the others in first…..one goes in easily (too easily?)

Lots of white powder on the site now…and it feels a bit lose.

One goes in ok.

And the "metal" one just won't.

Move the whole thing?

Get new screws?

A sledge hammer?

Paste the curtains to the wall?

Sure doesn't feel like "something simple."

(Shirt now comes off as I break into a full sweat.)

Finally the rod is up

….pretty level at that…and secure too (at least one one end.)

Well, as long as the grandkids don't swing on it, we should be ok.

And the curtains are hung.

(I need not tell you that challenge that I faced getting the rod and curtains to get along.)

Patience….is not something we pray for at the times of great challenge in life.

Oh then, we do.

But I am finding out that it is what we pray for when we try to hang stupid, simple curtain rods.

I did, as I took my clothing off and sweated.

And it helped.

Hoping for no more "simple" projects,

David