More Adventures

I looked at the boy's hand-me-down shoes and realized they were completely ripped out.  I knew he was outgrowing them, but I didn't realize that they were so damaged or so small.  They were a full size and an half too small.  He never complains, only occasionally asks if we can look for shoes at the thrift store for him.  So on Quarter Day we go to the thrift store and look.  But boys are so hard on their clothes and shoes that finding clothing and shoes for him is difficult.  If we can patch, hem, fix buttons, polish or otherwise rehabilitate an item we do, often choosing items that are passed over by others.  He's not picky, and being the youngest and only boy, he's pretty nonchalant about wearing clothes passed down from his sisters.  Looking at the shoes, I realize I cannot let him go on like this.  We head to the girls' closet and find a pair of black boots that fit him.  He's thrilled to get a nice looking pair of shoes.  I promise him we will go through the girls' shoes more closely and see what they have that he can wear.  The girls protest this proclamation, but they forget that their brother only had 1 pair of shoes, where they've been blessed with many hand-me-downs.

I spend the morning researching the error code my washing machine flashes.  One description of the issues of this model starts with, "common problems with this otherwise tragically flawed washer:..."  Hoping (always hoping), that the code is something simple, something that doesn't require expensive parts or even worse, expensive electronic parts.  We've replaced so many parts on the washer already, but now, we just... can't.  One hundred seventy-five dollars for a new control board is out of the question.  It used to be a big annoyance to have something go wrong with the washer or dryer, but now, its so prohibitive that its impossible.  

I cry.  The kids are out walking the dogs, so I break down in the privacy of my temporary solitude.  I consider the 2-3 loads of clothing we wash daily.  

I  pull myself together.  I come up with a plan.  I'll make it an adventure.  This will be a learning experience.  We'll get through this challenge too, and we'll become better people for it.  Because if I don't pull myself together, or come up with a plan, or make it an adventure, or learn from it, or get through this challenge or become better... I'll become bitter and angry.  I'll teach my kids to wallow in self-pity and to blame the world for their problems.  I can't let that happen.  There is so much more at stake than a washing machine that doesn't spin or a child with no shoes.