Sometimes You Just Have To Take Action
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Mar 16, 2015
Below is a true story. It happened to me last week. It's a story that will have kind of a moral at the end; actually, you've seen the moral in the title but go with me here and just enjoy the story first.
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This doesn't look like much more than a sink, does it?
Last Sunday night it was full of water. It wouldn't drain, and it seemed like it was getting more and more full.
A quick trip to Wegmans for some Drano, the heavy stuff, produced nothing; it just didn't work. I went to bed hoping it might drain in the morning, after siphoning some of the water out and pouring in the rest of the stuff in the bottle.
I woke Monday morning and went to check the sink; nothing. I was a bit downcast; I had a day of marketing planned; all out the window.
I just didn't know what to do. I mentioned it to my wife, who's out of town; she didn't know what to do either. I needed to think; I went back to bed.
That sounds goofy but sometimes it's just what I need to do. Remember, we'd just changed the clocks. My mind was muddled because I hadn't slept much, not used to the time change yet, and I had the stupid sink on my mind.
Sleeping helped my mind think clearer. In what was my last little dream... I decided what I was going to do, and it woke me up.
I got up, got dressed, and went to the "helpful hardware store" to buy a drain snake. I figured 25 feet might be overkill, but I was going to get it done, get that drain open.
Came back home, went to the snake... and nothing. Discouraged? Not me!
I went to YouTube and watched a video telling me how to potentially fix the sink. Those of you who know me know I'm not Mr. Handyman, but I was willing to give it a shot.
Without the proper tools, I still figured out how to loosen the things that bind the pipes (plastic pipes; they might be washers but I'm not sure). Since I'd previously drained most of the water, the little bucket I put under there easily handled the rest of the water.
I pulled out the little pipes I'd disconnected and looked into them; nothing. So that wasn't the problem.
I got my snake and popped it into the pipe I knew ran into the basement; it wasn't happening. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't get it to go in too far.
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What to do, what to do... I didn't want to call a plumber out of the phone book (how many folks still use those?) because a few years ago it cost $80 just for the guy to show up and another $80 to repair something that took less than 5 minutes. I knew this was going to be bigger than that and it was going to cost a lot more. What to do...
Got it; check Craigslist! I couldn't remember the last time I'd been there but I didn't care.
I looked there and found one guy... just one guy; stunned by that. I called him and he agreed to come over after he ate dinner; I thought that was pretty nice since it was after 6:30 in the evening
He finally showed up around 8PM with his snake and drill (I don't have a drill; my wife has one that she's hidden from me; another story for another day).
The sucker churned and churned but fought him all the way. Eventually we went into the basement where he was able to determine that the entire pipe was clogged; so it wasn't anything I did (whew!).
Through lots of finagling, an idea I had that ended up helping, then some other testing, he was finally able to get it all cleared; whew! He was there almost an hour, and you know what it cost me? It cost $80, plus the $20 tip I gave him. I was happy to give it to him.
So, the sink is clear, the pipes are cleaned out, and I could finally eat, as all I'd had all day was a medium Mickey D's fries. I couldn't cook because I couldn't clean anything; that's how my mind was working.
Sometimes you just have to work through your problem. When you finally figure out what to do, you have to take action. It might not work out perfectly, but taking action breeds more ideas as things either work or don't work. Once you get going, if you're persistent and driven, things will get done.
Someone said that stuff never seems to break down when you're ready for it. So true; but I got it done, and treated myself to a cookie!
What action will you take today to get through a problem you've been having?
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2015 Mitch Mitchell 
“he was able to determine that the entire pipe was clogged; so it wasn’t anything I did” If not you then who?
I need a new car. I need extra cash to make the payment on the car I want so I am figuring out how to donate plasma. 😉
Troy S. recently posted..How to find a smile everywhere
On the first, he said the build up had to take a very long time. So it wasn’t me “that night”, which is what I’d been thinking at the time.
On the other… I’m staying out of that since I could tell you how to do it, but you won’t get paid for it. lol
Yeah, getting paid. That part is required. LOL
Have a great week Mitch. See you somewhere on The Road.
Troy S. recently posted..#856 Walking on stilts keeps my head in the clouds
My problem is that people keep telling me I am bad at editing my work. I have downloaded an app that teaches me “grammar.” And am starting to work hard at watching everything I type.
Being bad at something doesn’t have to shut it all down. Just find other people to read it & clean it up if that’s what’s needed. For instance, my latest book has had 2 edits, but they’ve mainly been me since others have dropped off the face of the earth. Still, it’s pretty much ready to go, in my words, and I don’t worry as much about grammar as I did about spelling and whether people would understand what I was saying. However, at least you’re working on it; that’s a very positive action! 🙂