One step at a time.

This past Tuesday, November 8th, was a big day … my birthday.  Oh yeah, and that other big thing.  But enough about other things…

A quick back story to this blog is that I recently wrote an election day op-ed piece asking my husband to rebuild our basement stairs for my birthday. (You can read it under the Writing tab at the top of the page.)

You can see in this before picture the current state of “astairs.” You have to duck your head to clear the overhead joist, and if you have a basket of laundry, you have to tuck it up to clear your knees.  I can handle the head-ducking OK, but ducking and tucking at the same time is hard – like the concrete basement floor below.  Every time I head down with my arms full, I worry that this is the time my neck and my knees will protest and send me flailing.

When we moved in 10 years ago, fixing the basement stairs was on our to-do list.  Since then, we’ve rebuilt two other sets of stairs, and fixed-up enough of this old house to give me blog material right through my nursing home days.  Now it’s time to re-visit that original to-do list.  And since my request is currently a matter of public record, Michael is kinda on the hook for it, wouldn’t you say?  (Hint, hint again, Dear.)

But don’t hold your breath.  Building or rebuilding anything, whether it’s steps, a house, a relationship, or a career is a slow process.  One step at a time.

Like this blog I’ve started.  Wouldn’t it be great if I wrote something so profound that it goes viral or becomes a best-seller or gets me a book deal?  Yeah, right.  That will happen for me someday, but in the meantime, I have to settle for building my flock, one follower, one “like,” one “share” at a time.

The elusive lesson which seems to be the bane of my existence – patience – taps me on the left shoulder from behind and pops up innocently on my right side.

On my birthday morning, I wanted to post a “before” picture of the stairs on FaceBook.  When my sister visited recently, she got some nice shots, which she either emailed or texted to me.  All I had to do was click and post.  But the pictures weren’t on my phone, email, or tablet.  I checked again – not there.  Nor two minutes later.  Nor five.  (What did I expect?)  Lost to cyberspace, or more likely my delete-happy finger.

So much for a quick FB post so I could get on with enjoying my day.  Instead I had to change my shirt, fix my hair, and have Michael take a gazillion shots (so he thought) to get another one that I liked.   There went a good hour of my birthday, and a good chunk of my patience.  Sigh.

OK, universe.  I get it already.  From now on, I will embrace patience.  Just like going public with my wish for new steps, I’m stating here for the record that I welcome the slow, steady growth of this blog.  I will be zen with the delays and setbacks.  I’m taking a deep breath.  Ohmmm.

I know patience and I will do this dance many times in the future.  Patience – I’ll try to stay in step.  And if you tap me on one shoulder and pop up on my other side, just watch that overhead joist because it may still be there.