A Tigger's Guide to Life

  My little country house is nothing fancy.  More what I would call a work in progress.  But it's home, and I love working on it. Every once in a while it does like to throw a challenge my way though, just to keep me on my toes.  And it must have great faith in my abilities because it's seldom a small one. 

  Recently it presented me with the biggest challenge yet.  I was running out of water, even while spring flooding was affecting most of the area.  Now, I can handle most issues that need repair around here, but I figured this one was probably best left to the professionals. 

  After several consultations with my plumber and a well expert, a multitude of phone calls and inspections, and finally a camera down the shaft to see what's going on....we've come up with a solution that means I won't have to drill a whole new well.  Good news indeed, since the average well in my area runs over 200 feet deep. But there is some prep work that needs to be done first, which will take some time. 

   So what does this have to do with wilderness skills or adaptability?  

  For over a week I haven't had water.  What was supposed to be one day with the water shut off is looking more like 2 or 3 weeks. And the surprising thing? It's really not a big deal.

  It's an inconvenience, for sure...but it's not the end of the world. I hadn't realized how lightly I was treating it until the well expert expressed sincere concern about the time it would take to finish. He couldn't understand how I had managed this long, and was shocked when I said it wasn't that difficult. 

  I go to town and fill up water jugs. If I couldn't do that, I would go to the river.  I fill the toilet tank so it's flushable.  I heat water on the stove for dishes, washing, and cleaning.  If I didn't have the stove, I would do it on the barbeque.  And if I didn't have that I would heat it over a fire.  I would adapt. What's the alternative?  Lamenting over the difficulty or being frustrated that "it's not fair" certainly won't make the jugs any lighter or the get the work done more quickly. 

  Our ancestors didn't think of it as a hardship to go and get water from the well.  They just...did it.  It was part of their daily routine.  It never seems like a hardship at camp either, just one of the chores that needs to be done.  But at home we've adapted to life being easy.  Turn the tap, and there's water.  No effort required. We lose sight of the fact that we are equally able to adapt to life's challenges, if we remain realistically positive.  Acknowledge the negatives so they can be dealt with but don't allow them to become the focus. 

   In this case, it means being grateful for the modern conveniences I do have that make it easier to manage.  For being fortunate enough to be able to borrow a shower.  For the car to get me there. For the plastic jugs I can fill up. For getting some camp prep (dehydrating and baking) done while I still had water. For the wilderness living experiences that have made me more comfortable with making do with what I have.  And most of all, for the wonderful supportive people in my life. Accept, adapt, and focus on the good.  I believe it's officially called positive mental attitude.  But I just refer to it as being a Tigger rather than an Eeyore.  


No matter what life brings you...just keep bouncing!



 BG