27 April 2007

The Little Things

Today I cashed in a favor owed to me by the universe.

At around 9:15 this morning, my upstairs neighbor called me. He'd been down in the basement with a plumber, getting an estimate on having his hot-water heater repaired. The plumber had noticed that there was a severely corroded pipe leading into my hot water heater. The plumber mentioned to my neighbor that the pipe needed to be repaired ASAP. It could burst at any moment.

I met my neighbor in the basement to check the situation out. Even I could see that it was a disaster waiting to happen. Great, just what I want to deal with on a day that I have the twins at home with me. Ugh.

But check this out:

9:15—Pipe inspected with neighbor.
9:30—Call made to plumbing company John and I used in September to fix a backed-up bathtub. They say they can send someone right away.
9:45—Plumber arrives, a cheerful guy named Frank. He takes a look and gives me a firm quote of $180. I ask when he can do the work. "How about now?" he says. How can I refuse?
11:00—Work done.

Not bad, I say. $180 for a plumbing job seems pretty reasonable to me, and you can't beat that timeline.

It's the little things. I needed that to go my way.

18 comments:

Yankee T said...

Oh, yes, take all the little things you can get right now. I'm glad it's a disaster avoided.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes those little blessings are the nicest ones...

kim said...

What a nice surprise - it's always good when the little things go your way. *hugs*

Anonymous said...

Yep, take whatever you can from the Universe. I think it owes you.

Also just wanted to let you know that I'm still here, still reading, still caring and still thinking of you. I just thought you might want some space from reading 300 comments that say "thinking of you". (Not that those aren't nice, but I thought I'd wait till I have something more substantial to say.) It's good to read that you are trudging through, though. Take care of yourself.

Melissa said...

Hi.

I'm still hanging around as well - and I smiled BIG when I read this post! The small things *are* important and I'm glad that something small-but-good happened.

May many more come your way!

Unknown said...

ooh...good plumbing karma is hard to come by. a well-deserved gift indeed.

The other me said...

Hooray! I was hoping to read that the neighbour got it fixed for you and told you not to give it a thought, but this result was a pretty good one too.

luolin said...

Plumbing seems like a great place to get some good luck from the universe.

Mouthy Girl said...

I think you're due for a freaking ton of owed favors from the almighty universe. I'm glad this one flew at you before the pipe decided to be a fucktard.

The post about wiping John's tear made some fall down my cheeks. Those last moments with those we love are surreal.

*hard hugs*

I'm so glad the twins seem to be getting into a great sleep pattern. I remember when Buddha established a blessed 'through the night' routine. My sigh of relief was audible!

Rev Dr Mom said...

Hooray for little things that work out well--and don't turn into big things!

Anonymous said...

I just recently found your site from a link. Please know that John, you, and your twins are in our prayers. God grant you strength and some peace, even when there is no understanding.

Liz Miller said...

Hooray for a disaster averted.

Angela said...

You deserve all the "little things" and lots of "big things" to go your way. So glad the plumber noticed the corroded pipe.

OTRgirl said...

Happy plumber stories are rare treats worth savoring!

nickoletta100 said...

Good job universe.

Priscilla Pseudonym said...

We don't realize how much we depend on working pipes until some strange, black, nasty-looking material start bubbling up into the bath tub! (We have a root/pipeline problem ourselves. Yuck.)

Yes, $180 is a very good price for a pipe job. Congrats!

The Momcaster said...

you are amazing.
this is the first time i've visited your blog since learning of john's death and it seems you are coping with your loss with grace and a grounded sense that yes, you do have to put "one foot in front of the other".
all the best to you and the twins!

Glory Laine said...

I'm a mom of 10 1/2 month twins. I just started reading your blog. It's mothers day and my thought have been with you all day. Praying that you felt comfort and a little happiness today.