Big Day
Big day ahead. I’m getting a new kitchen appliance. A dishwasher. Wow. What excitement. No. Seriously, what excitement. It’s hard to describe why I feel so thrilled. When my previous dishwasher bit the dust, I held off replacing it. I think the choices were just too many and I wasn’t up to the task. Grief does that to you. Knocks you into the dirt and rubs your face in it. So, I just washed my dishes by hand. Take that, grief. Of course, that’s a fine approach when it’s just me, but not so hot when I have company. Christmas highlighted the shortcomings in my plan. Now a new dishwasher is on the way.
This is the second kitchen appliance I’ve replaced since we built the house in 2009. I got a new refrigerator a while back. I’ve replaced two AC compressors, and the digital lights on the electric stove are going out. So, I imagine one day I’ll need a new stove, but I know a guy who has one in his garage that’s temporary while he’s waiting on a new stove for his kitchen, and maybe we’ll be able to work out a deal. That would be sweet. Anyway, it’s all about obsolescence. Things are new then they get old. Like us. Like me. Like life.
You build a new house. It immediately starts to decay. You come in as a baby, all fresh-faced and bubbly, then one day you’ve got a metal knee or pieces of mesh holding your groin together. I guess you could be all sad about it, but that’s the game. You just buy a new dishwasher and get on with it. Or not. That’s your choice. Me? I’m getting on with it. That’s why I’m letting my daughter-in-law refresh my wardrobe in an attempt to make me look like someone living in the 21st century. It’s why I’m going to hike Big Bend. It’s why I write this blog. It’s why I’m writing songs again. To live. To create. To feel the wind on my face. To see the smile of a friend. To get a hug. To be alive and enjoy it.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale