Today the plumber came. I haven't seen him in five months which is a record for us. For the last two years I have seen him every six weeks without fail. As many of you know, I won the "nightmare plumbing" jackpot at my old place and endured a number of floods, as well as bimonthly almost-floods caused by trees that wiggled their thirsty roots into the pipes. But since I was in Washington all summer and have been living in my new place for two months, I haven't needed my plumber since May. I've missed him. So, when my toilet recently showed signs of leakage, I was delighted to be able to call him up. He recognizes my number whenever I call, such is the intimacy of our friendship.
Ben — that's his name — came over in a jiffy and had the leak fixed in no time at all. I have a habit of standing in the bathroom door-well and watching Ben work. I like the thought of understanding how my toilet works, so I pepper him with questions. But I mostly like talking about life with him. We cover all sorts of topics. Today it was karma, real estate, and my old studio. We also manage to have some good belly laughs together. Toilets are just funny, man.
When he left, I felt happy. Seeing him made my day.
Isn't it funny how some of life's most stressful events give birth to life-giving friendships? Those floods, especially the big one necessitating I move out for two weeks, just about sent me into perma-panic mode. And yet, those floods gave me a crash course in friendship with my plumber.
Remember how my car had a habit of breaking down the same time I'd have a flood or any other sort of natural disaster? I miss my mechanic. I also miss the AAA guys and my tow-truck drivers. And while we're at it, I miss my computer repair guys. My computer had a habit of crashing anytime I had a flood and my car broke down so the IT guys became part of my crisis squad/dream team/perfect storm troopers.
Man, just thinking about navigating that seemingly endless series of perfect storms with a sick body gives me heart palpitations. I don't miss that season. But the people: they will always be special to me.
I've really struggled to understand God's goodness in the face of so many years of hardship, and I'm still struggling. I suppose I will my whole life. But the people I got to know and love as a result of all those perfect storms feel like a sturdy enough reason for the storms. Well, they do today, anyway. I'm thankful for that.
I hope you've had a lovely Monday, friends.
I'm cheering for you as you wrap it up,
Sarah
© by scj
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