Acceptance

Did you learn something today? I did: I am not in control. I am not powerful or able of doing really much of anything when it comes to some aspects of life. I really can do very little. 'Now, that's really not fair,' you think, 'to give your abilities so little credit that you consider yourself so incapable.' By saying this, I, in no way, mean to lessen my potential or underestimate my circle of influence, but let me share why today is an excellent example of my lacking abilities.

The day began by getting ready for an appointment that I hoped not to need. My mister and I met with the midwife for the day-before-the-dreaded-41-weeks-of-pregnancy appointment, as 41 weeks have gone by and the baby remains comfortably in utero. We had to decide on the next step, since the doctors recommend induction about now, for fear of the baby's demise. Is induction desirable? Not really. Have we done anything to prevent having said appointment, and a potential induction, by getting the baby out sooner? I've drunk chamomile tea, I've practiced yoga, I've rocked my hips for hours to the beat of whatever music I happen to have on, I've tried massage and meditation, I've done squats until the burn was too much, I've rubbed all those pressure points they recommend, I've enjoyed spicy food, I've walked laps until my calves ache, and I've sent up some pretty earnest prayers to the Almighty Creator. Still no baby. Enough. She cannot be forced. The baby will come when she is good and ready...though I really hope it's stat!

So, moving on, since nothing we've tried has gotten much traction with our Little Miss, I decided to move on the the more mundane things of life. Cleaning the bathroom sounded as good as mundane could get, so I went to get the cleaning supplies from under the sink. As I did, I noticed a hissing noise coming from the cold water pipe that leads to the faucet. That's not normal, right? The pipe, naturally, has a knob. Here is a picture of the knob after it yielded to gentle pressure by breaking off. Unfortunately, by breaking the knob, in stead of hissing, the pipe began to spray water all over the cabinet. So I threw a towel over it and hoped the pressure would die down. It didn't. That's when I noticed the soaked roll of paper towels...and then the dripping package of toilet paper. Having never been trained in the art of finding a water shut off in a rented space, I had no idea what to do, so I asked my mom, my husband, and my brother, all over the phone or internet, their recommendations - plus I called the property manager (and as if on cue, a mosquito buzzed in my ear as I made my calls). Each had a few suggestions, so, after finding a trash can to collect water, turning off the valve on the water heater, and pulling out the washer in order to look for the main shut off, I hunted around outside, to find another valve, and closed it, in hopes that something might happen. It did, mostly. The water pressure decreased in all but the hissing valve. In a moment of brilliance, I turned the sink on, which cut off the hissing water, but it never actually stopped like I expected.

After much waiting, the repair men arrived and took care of the rest, complimenting me on my thoroughness in doing everything right (when really it was that I tried everything and hoped something might stop the water flow) - to the point of suggesting I should become a repair man.

So, with my calling in life newly discovered and a few lessons learned (like where the water shut off is and not to leave paper products where leaks can find them, not to mention that babies have a timetable of their own) I will go forth to eat more spicy food as I contemplate what other parts of life I really can't change.

Now if I could only get rid of that nasty mosquito...