Is it really that Simple . . . Just flip a Switch?

Last evening, while preparing dinner, I was peeling potatoes.

All of a sudden I dropped the potato . . . down the garbage disposal. And yes, the first thing I did was stick my hand down in there in an effort to rescue the potato. It was one of the bigger ones I had elected to peel!

Austin was in the kitchen with me as he was unloading the dishwasher and yelled, “Mom, don’t stick your hand down there!” Of course, I quickly removed my hand. I didn’t feel or see the potato so I assumed it went down the drain as it was.

I proceeded to peel a few more potatoes then scraped the peelings in the garbage disposal without sticking my hand in there again. When I turned on the disposal, it made a really weird sound for a few seconds then quit.

After Austin surveyed the situation, he saw the potato! So he grabbed a knife and within a few minutes the potato was rescued but guess what happened when we turned the garbage disposal back on? Nothing. That’s right, nothing. Austin encourage me to wait a few minutes and try it again. So I did. And still  . . . nothing. Austin proceeded to explain and show me with his hands how the disposal works and why the potato was lodged. He’s so smart . . .

I continued fixing dinner and decided I’d just wait until after dinner to tell Scott. We certainly couldn’t afford a new garbage disposal right now but I lived without one for almost 43 years. I could manage without it.

As we were sitting down for dinner my charming, delightful son says, “Mom, did you tell Scott?” As I gave him “that look”, he smiled and turned his head as he said, “oops.” Then, of course, Scott wanted to know so I told him first how much I loved him then told him what had happened, and I was so sorry.

He flashed that beautiful smile back at me, opened the cabinet doors under the sink, flipped a switch, and guess what! You guessed it! The garbage disposal was back in business! I raised my arms and thanked God, and Scott of course, I didn’t burn out the motor or . . . well, do anything else to it.

As we were enjoying dinner and the reassurance the garbage disposal was once again working, I couldn’t help but think about life and how simple it would be to just open the doors and flip a switch and make it all better. Wouldn’t that be awesome? . . . or would it . . .

Would we still learn to:

Let go, forgive and enjoy life?

Take care of ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually?

Cease new opportunities?

Appreciate the good times?

Sharpen our focus on what matters most in life?

Be as strong, confident and trusting as we are today?

Appreciate the best days of your life?

Learn some of life’s greatest lessons when you fail?

Appreciate a smile?

(one of my favorites) Learn to dance in the rain?

So  . . . the next time we wish life was as easy as flipping the switch when life gets tough remember this . . . although it was simple to flip the switch, making the disposal work again, when Austin rescued the potato from the garbage disposal, it didn’t look the same as it did when I dropped it . . . it was cut  . . . and bruised.

What are some things you'd miss if we didn't persevere through the tough times if life was as easy as flipping a switch?

Please feel free to comment. I welcome and appreciate your thoughts and comments because as we share with one another, we can only make it better together!

Update to our "Pathway to Recovery" and Reflections . . .

Beautiful . . . serene. . . tranquil . . . and relaxing are words that come to mind to describe the many inches of snow we received Wednesday and yesterday. I was bummed I could not get out and play like everyone else, but I certainly received a lot of joy watching them. They even built a "pink" snowman for me!

 

When I woke up yesterday, it was like time was actually standing still. Looking out my windows at the majestic scenery God had created, the calm of the quietness was a sight to behold.

I have really enjoyed the snow this year. One of my friends is so ready for spring. I told her I wanted one good snow . . . one where you couldn’t see the grass. Well, I think I finally got it! But now, I’m not sure if I’m ready for spring just yet. As I’ve gotten older, I relish in the fact we get to enjoy all four seasons. So, did I mention it’s supposed to snow more tonight? :)

The snow has brought back many childhood memories. My mom and I use to work puzzles when it snowed. Dad would bring up a folding table from the basement and put it in the den, right in front of the wood stove. We’d sit there for hours. And on some occasions, mom would even make some party mix for us to munch on as we were searching for our piece of the puzzle.

My “big sis” Debbie came to visit me on Wednesday morning. And guess what she brought me? Yep – a puzzle!

It’s been a week since I had my hysterectomy and reconstructive surgery at the Cancer Treatment Center of America (CTCA) in Chicago. Last week surgeries this week Valentine’s Day. And what a day it has been. My sweet husband ordered a dozen pink roses to be delivered today. Ironically, they were delivered Wednesday, his day off. They are beautiful . . .

And just now the doorbell rang, and the cutest, sweet girl was at the door with something for Austin (from Scott) and something for me  . . . yes, me . . .  pink passion petals from Scott . . . I’m so blessed God gave me such a wonderful Valentine in Scott Teague . . . I hope you too are enjoying this Valentine’s Day, but please know . . . I also know what it’s like to just wish the day away . . .
 

 Regarding my surgeries, they both went very well. I stayed two nights in the inpatient center as they had a bit of a difficult time regulating my pain medication. Last Saturday, I enjoyed looking out the window in my room, watching it snow. And this week, I’ve enjoyed watching it snow out my window on Rayley Court.

I am doing really well. I’m sore but very little pain. I’ve had two great doctors ensuring I don’t lift a figure :) Scott had to work this week and this weekend so it’s been nice Austin has been home from school.

By the way, and to no surprise, we had a delay on our flight last Wednesday. When I checked in via the kiosk at the airport, it said it was on time, 12:30 p.m. As the gentleman is putting the tag on our suitcase he says “you need to know your flight is delayed until 2 o’clock”. I told him to just hold on as my husband was parking our car, and we may decide to make other travel arrangements. Anticipating this could happen, Scott and I had a plan B. We had decided if this happened, we would rent a car from the airport and drive to Chicago then fly home.

 

Our friend Lisa, who is a flight attendant, was at the airport as she too was on this flight. She encouraged us to wait on it as she felt pretty confident it would go. So after hanging out with her for a couple of hours, sure enough, it was time to board.

 

 

Once we landed we then had to wait on the tarmac for almost an hour.

 

Apparently, there was a plane in our gate that was waiting to be de-iced. We waited so long our driver even called to see where we were. Of course, he waited on us and after getting to the gate, off the plane and retrieving our suitcase, we were taken to our hotel on site at the CTCA. All the way there, I so enjoyed seeing all the snow.

We think we have a lot of snow here, and we do, but it was amazing the amount of snow in Chicago.

 

 

We even walked Wednesday evening from our hotel to the center for dinner. Again, there was a calming as I looked across the snow . . . it was glistening in the dark . . . it was almost like glitter was casting off of the blankets of snow. Most of the snow in this area had not been interrupted with footprints . . . it was seamless. After dinner, we walked back, a little faster this time :) Nonetheless, we had the ability to enjoy the calmness of the snow that surrounded us.

As you might imagine, my level of activity is minimal at best. We will see what happens next week when Scott has his knee surgery on Tuesday :)  Please continue to remember us in prayer.

I will be returning to the CTCA in a month for my surgical follow ups and to receive my next step from my oncologist.

To conclude, I hope you are enjoying the beauty of the snow and taking a moment to reflect. We all know how overwhelming life can be. I encourage you to use reflection as a means to possibly change aspects of your life, i.e. what do you deal with every day? What are you doing right? What isn’t working in your life? How can you make improvements or adjustments? How can you continue to improve your life spiritually, physically and emotionally?

Reflection helps us learn more about ourselves so we can make better choices. Maybe we’ll determine where we’ve gone wrong and what we can do to put our life back on track. Mistakes are a valuable commodity. But unless we understand why we make mistakes, they only become counterproductive.

When we reflect on our success, we are more likely to celebrate life. If we don’t reflect, we’re more likely to focus on how much we’ve failed, rather than seeing how successful we’ve been.

So, as you are peering out your window, looking at the striking, snow covered ground, what did you perceive as you reflect?