Sunday, June 14, 2015

Bad, Better, Best

I'm so happy right now.

My air conditioning stopped working today.

That's not why I'm happy. Obviously, when it's a muggy June day in Texas, and you're already sinking your entire savings into house renovations, the a/c quitting is not high on the list of things that are going to make me break out in a chorus of "The Rainbow Connection."

Although it's always a welcome diversion.
But through a community Facebook page, I found a link to a local HVAC guy. I called him, thinking I'd get a voice mail or message service. Instead, I got the guy himself, who will be over within the hour to check out my a/c. On a Sunday evening. For no charge.

Would not be at all surprised if Ashton Kutcher showed up at my door instead.
But you know what? Even that is not why I'm happy. After all, I could still be looking at a hefty price tag to fix or replace my a/c unit. I mean, good selling point for the house to have new a/c, but I would like to be able to eat between now and closing.

Here's why I'm happy.

It's dusk here in Texas, and by the time the HVAC guy shows up, it will be dark. So a few minutes ago I turned on my porch light for him.

GUYS.

I haven't had a functioning porch light in years. YEARS. The wiring went bad or something. So for years I've been apologizing to anyone who comes to my front door at night and setting out floodlights on Halloween so as not to dissuade the neighborhood children from trick-or-treating at my darkened house.

Now I have a brand-new light fixture on my front porch, and it totally works.

I could explain to you why I never bothered to get my porch light fixed before, or why I never installed baseboards in my formal living/dining (which I now have), or why I never had a microwave over my stove before (which I now have). But explaining that would be like laying bare all the reasons I'm leaving my marriage, because they're all related. And I'm not ready to go there yet.

It's enough for me to gaze upon my pretty new porch light and marvel that I can flip a switch and create welcome light for visitors. My next place will also have a functioning porch light, I promise.

That makes me happy.

What is the little thing that currently makes you happy? I want to know.

7 comments:

  1. It's always the little things that are the best :)

    I like when I finish a knit project, and I know it's going to someone who will really appreciate it. I love when a new recipe I try is a hit with the family. I like having a backyard that doesn't look like the forest moon of Endor. Best of all? I love not having to remind everyone that dirty dishes go in the dishwasher, not the sink.

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  2. That I finished this story that I've been writing for days now - you know, the one on the bar on the right of this page - and which I doubted I could eve get done. Yesterday evening suddenly the pieces fell into place. I was up till past midnight writing it, but I got it done.

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  3. It's early in the morning and while I could focus on little things that make me happy generally I'd prefer to say that the fact that you have trick-or-treaters at Halloween makes me happy this morning. Maybe there just aren't kids--or enough kids--in my neighborhood, and I end up having to eat most of that candy myself. It makes me happy to know that Halloween is still a kids' night out somewhere.

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  4. My front porch light runs through bulbs in about 2 days. But during those 2 days, I always feel like a grown-up for having replaced it.

    Right now, I'm happy because I am stocked up on food if the tropical storm hits...

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  5. I'm happy that my son graduated from HS on Saturday. But that's a big thing.

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  6. It’s great that things are coming along nicely for you. I’m sure the new porch light and repaired AC will make life more comfortable for you as you go through the rest of the renovation. That being said, did you find out why the AC went out in the first place? I hope the repairs didn’t cost you too much. Good day!

    Tommy Hopkins @ AccuTemp

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  7. That can be a real downer. AC units tend to be our lifeline, especially in times of extreme weather conditions like heatwaves or coldsnaps. It’s a good thing that you called a repair service as soon as possible, and for no charge. Really unheard of on a Sunday. Anyway, I hope you’re doing well nowadays. Cheers!

    Rosa Nelson @ HVAC Services Philadelphia

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