I’m single and several of my friends are single. Although I wouldn’t mind being married, I am content for the most part being single. I enjoy having “my space”, deciding what I’m going to do during my free time, and not have the family responsibilities like my married friends have. I’m thankful that I’m “aunt” to several kids of my friends and get included in a lot of family activities.
However, there is one aspect of being single that I dislike, and sometimes even despise! What’s that? Having to deal with the headache of when things go wrong around the house. This past week both toilets were clogged and a sink was sluggish. The one toilet I boldly approached, tackled and conquered! The other toilet thinks it’s winning the battle. But I diligently scoop out the water with a small pot, plunge it, flush it….only to watch it fill up again. As it’s filling up, I’m verbally trying to convince it that it really wants to “take the plunge” and be free!!! So far, it hasn’t worked! The sluggish sink is working fine—the plunger worked great!
This morning I woke up to a smoke alarm beeping—letting me know it’s time to change the battery. I really really don’t want to climb up to change it. Hmmm…maybe I’ll bake a scrumptious dessert and invite my married friends over. Then when the alarm beeps, Bob or Brian will offer to change the battery!
I sometimes joke with my friends that I don’t necessarily need to be married, but I do need a handyman in my life! And actually, I do sort of have one. His name is Ron and he helps me with whatever needs to be done. Although I pay him, his rates are low…I think he just knows that I’m dangerous with a screwdriver, superglue or maybe even the plunger. When I know that Ron’s coming over, I type up my “Ron To Do List”. Regardless of the tasks listed, I’ve only ever heard Ron grumble once over any of the tasks—he really didn’t want to capture the bat in the spare bedroom. But when I pointed out that the bat has been just hanging there for a couple of months and that either it’s dead or just hibernating, Ron gladly got rid of it!
So if you’re a single person, can you relate??? Any suggestions on how to deal with the frustrations of everyday household problems??? Know a good handyman for hire?
Archive for the ‘Readers stories’ Category
Soon It Will Be Spring
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
For many of us, Spring is on its way! After weeks of very little sunshine, I’m looking forward to the warmer temperatures, more daylight, the grass turning green and trees budding. Spring seems to offer new hope, or perhaps a new start. I’m looking forward to having the guys do the “spring cleaning” of my pond so I can use the laptop outside rather than sitting here in my office with all the piles of papers, books, magazines, mail…you name it! I enjoy listening to the water as it cascades down the rocks and watching the frogs jump from the edge to the water lilies. I also enjoy just reflecting on life and setting new goals.
My father’s side of the family is from Sweden. I would really like to do a search and try to locate relatives. So one of my goals is to research the various last names in our family tree and then start searching.
How about you? Who are you searching for? When using this site, have you tried posting more than one contact? The more dates/locations that you can recall, the better your chance of locating someone here on “I Still Remember You”.
Let’s say for example, you’re looking for an old classmate. Your contacts might include…
• September 5, 1981 – attended first grade together in Greeneville, CT
• June 21, 1993 – graduated from Greeneville High School together
• July 10, 1998 – went on the Class Reunion Cruise together to Vancouver, Canada
It’s exciting to hear the contacts that some of you have made! Some have found relatives, some have rekindled relationships, and others have made new friends on the site. We really want to get the word out regarding “I Still Remember You” because we believe that people should be able to reconnect with the people who mean so much to them. Please tell your family and friends about the site. Thanks!
Listen to your heart…
Never Get Stuck In Failure
Friday, February 26th, 2010
It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when you really really want to accomplish something and for every step forward, you slide back three steps. Maybe it’s a job promotion. You attend the staff meetings, you give great ideas, you put in extra hours, but the promotion goes to your colleague. Maybe it’s losing weight. You do really well for two weeks and then find yourself eating dessert when you and your friends go out for dinner.
Each one of us has goals, aspirations and hopes. If you’re serious about something, then go after it! Don’t get stuck in the failures along the way…never lose your sense of destiny.
Earlier this month we celebrated President’s Day here in the United States. If anyone has a sense of rising above failure, it’s Abraham Lincoln. Check this out…
• 1809 – He was born into poverty in a log cabin, one room 16×18 ft.
• 1816 – His family was evicted from their home; at age 7 he had to work to support them
• 1818 – His mother died
• 1831 – He failed in business
• 1832 – He ran for the state legislature and lost
• 1832 – He lost his job and wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in
• 1833 – He borrowed money for a business and went bankrupt; spent the next 17 years paying off that debt
• 1835 – He was engaged to be married, but his sweetheart died and his heart was broken
• 1836 – He had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for the next 6 months
• 1843 – He ran for congress and lost
• 1854 – He ran for the senate and lost
• 1856 – He sought the vice president nomination and got less than 100 votes from his own party
• 1858 – He ran for senate again and lost again
From the looks of things, Lincoln was stuck in failure. His life was filled with setbacks, obstacles, disasters and losses. However, those were the very things that prepared him to become the president of the United States in 1860!
So, don’t be discouraged by failure. In the words of Martin Luther King, “What does not destroy me makes me stronger.”
Listen to your heart…
Game Night
Friday, February 12th, 2010
To welcome in the new year, my friends and I decided to play games for 12 hours straight! We started at 6:30 PM on New Year’s Eve and ended the following morning at 6:30 AM with breakfast. You have to understand that we LOVE playing games! If we were to add all of our games together, we probably have close to 200 games! Games of all sorts…card games, board games, kids’ games, you name it, we probably have it! One of my friends typed up the names of the games that he had on strips of paper and placed them in a jar. The winner of the first game then drew for the next game, and so on. We made it a rule that we had to play a game for at least a half hour before moving on to another game.
The first couple of games were ones that we recently played and like a lot — Royal Rummy, Five Crowns and Things. Then someone drew a budget game from the 1960’s! At first we cringed at the thought of opening the box. It was a game that none of us had played before. Bob’s mother picked it up at a garage sale. As we began to set up the game, we were amused by the cards and the tokens. Thinking that we would definitely quit after a half hour, we actually completed the game.
Some of the games the younger kids were able to join us. It’s always fun to see how fast their emotions change. They’re giddy when they’re winning, and they’re fighting back tears when they’re losing. Yet, they really enjoy playing games and like to play with the adults.
We tried out a brand new game called “Kings Go Free”. It actually is three different games, using the same deck of specialized cards. It was a lot of fun and provided us with a lot of laughter. If you’re looking for a new card game, I highly recommend checking out www.KingsGoFree.com or find it on Ebay.
One of the things that I enjoy about playing games is the opportunity to get caught up on each other’s lives. We talk about our families, our jobs and other things. We’re constantly laughing or yelping. It doesn’t really matter if we win or lose a game.
If you haven’t played any games in awhile, I really encourage you to get a group of friends together or your family and have a game night. Who knows, it might become a weekly or monthly event!
Listen to your heart…
