The older I get, the longer my “to-do” list becomes. It now takes more effort and time to complete a simple task than it did ten years ago. The point has arrived where getting everything done appears insurmountable. Keeping that in mind, prioritizing tasks has even become a hassle of sorts.
The other day, my wife and I were preparing to go camping. After activating the burglar alarm and trying to open our front door, Joleen discovered that the lock was broken and it wouldn’t turn. With no time to fix it, one more thing was added to the pile.
When an item is finally marked off the list, two more generally take its place. It’s like taking one step forward and two steps back. Many things need to be tended to around the house, making home ownership the biggest burden in my life.
One way to alleviate this problem is to hire someone to perform the work. I’ve done that in certain areas, yet still can’t fathom paying a repairman to fix simple things that I can whip into shape.
Replacing that door lock was one of them. It’s now working, and I saved at least $100 doing so myself. This was an essential repair to safely get out of the house in case of fire, or I would’ve perhaps put things off until later.
When it comes to wrenching on our car or truck, I still try to do everything humanly possible. YouTube videos help immensely here. It’s interesting how many different ways YouTube experts come up with to fix the same problem. If I see someone haul out a hammer, I move on to the next professional.
My to-do notebook is comprised of: replacing the kitchen faucet (it’s been on the list for over a year now). Placing a sponge underneath the drip temporarily helps cure that nerve-wracking noise.
Other items include painting the outside wall and wrought iron fence (two years and counting), emptying the central vacuum canister (three years or longer), painting the guest bathroom, replacing heat-compromised tires and tubes in my bicycle, and purchasing and replacing ceiling fans in the living room and master bedroom.
Switching subjects for just a second, the word “master bedroom” is a “no-no” with some real estate agents. They deem it to be racist. Master locks, on the other hand, are used by many of these same thinkers to secure vacant property. Go figure?
Back to my to-do list. I still need to muck out the garage, install a new rubber seal under our garage door, squirt some silicone underneath the treadmill belt to keep it from squeaking, clean out the walk-in closet, install some tire spacers on our Jeep to make it look cooler, and finally, catch up on the last two seasons of “Longmire.”
It’s hard to prioritize these tasks because none of them are safety-oriented like that broken door lock was. After carefully looking things over, I’ll have to say the final item on my list has the most significance to me.
By the time I’m finished watching to see if Sheriff Walt Longmire’s 1994 Ford Bronco makes it through to the end, I’m sure some other things will crop up around our house needing repair. It’s a given!
Did I mention that the older I get, the longer my “to-do list” becomes? I’ve no plausible explanation for this, other than perhaps procrastination has finally set in. It seems the best way to solve this problem is to use the William Shakespeare approach. I believe it was Shakespeare who wrote these exact words almost 500 years ago.
“To do or not to do. That is the question.”
With Shakespeare being a writer, and where working around his house was concerned, I’d say he opted not to do those types of menial chores. I believe he chose to read a good book or go hunting instead, much like television lawman Walt Longmire.
William Shakespeare and I seem to have a lot in common, although his writing style is on a slightly different level. Should he still be alive, undoubtedly, “The Bard of Avon,” as William was called, would be a “Longmire” fan as well.
I like to write junk... 