I am the poster child of grace when everything is going well. The last few months have uneventful. Of course, there are always little bumps here and there, but it has flowed like a lazy river. Within the last few days, I have been bombarded with work opportunities. Remember the empty space of waiting? That space is now full of writing deadlines. I am not complaining, just grateful for the time spent in quiet anticipation.
While I am attending to my deadlines and organizing my time efficiently, I hear a bellow from the basement this morning. Something about an F01 error on the dryer. Apparently, Bailey had put his clothes in the dryer last night and it wouldn’t respond to his pushing start. Of course, it was midnight (past his bedtime of 11) and he simply left a post-it note on the dryer that read, “Dad, please help me with this. P.S. I love you”. Sweet note indeed, but it wasn’t found until after 8 this morning. Brian had interrupted my train of thought as I was immersed in one of my writing assignments. Blanketed in irritation, I rush downstairs. I do what I do best…..reset. Everything works again when you unplug and then plug it back in, except, of course, my dryer. My initial reaction, well, you know my favorite word, was said over and over again. I began my search for a repairman with the earliest availability being next Monday. I took a breath and exhaled. First world problems, friends. I decided to be a part of the solution, so I ordered some drying racks from my friends at Amazon and proceeded to hang up the wet clothes still residing the dryer. Then I looked for my gratitudes……..I have money to pay for the repair and whatever parts needed, I have hangers to help dry clothes, I can always borrow someone else’s dryer if I need to, and the list continued. When I shift my stress and anxiety to look for the blessings, I find my place of peace.
After I hung up the wet clothes, I filled Bailey in on the plan of action. How we can still operate even without a dryer and his response was, “So, we are going back to the old days when you were little?”. Actually, I always had a dryer, but I just shook my head in agreement. Then he apologized for “making the morning so stressful”. I had to assure him that it was in no way his fault. In some ways, I appreciate that him having Down syndrome allows him to reveal his childlike side. He brings life back into focus.
Being graceful when things are out of control is tricky. Brian didn’t get to see me approach the latter portion with poise, he just saw the lunatic as he ran out the door to go to work. I am human and being graceful isn’t easy especially when I am in a place of life being congested and maybe being overwhelmed. Things happen. Life happens. This dryer episode is simply a blip. A random bump that is more of an inconvenience than a dramatic situation. Moving on with my day as this isn’t a defining moment.
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