Two Jobs

Two projects are on tap today. A pool hose needs replacing, no big deal. New speakers need to be installed in the ceiling, big deal. The former merely requires a trip to the big box retailer, the purchase of hose, the undoing of hose clamps, and then replacement. The latter requires a ladder and working over my head, holding something up with one hand and working a power tool with the other. A complication might arise in which I need to enlarge the hole in the ceiling (boo).

The anxiety levels for both projects are proportionate the number of times I’ve performed each one. I know what to expect replacing a pool hose. My biggest issue will be getting the correct length of hose. The last time I messed with my ceiling speakers, however, was ten years ago when I installed the current occupants. I remember nothing about the episode nor what to expect when I start digging around up there. The builder installed the bare case in the ceiling, all I needed to do was put in the speaker, which I did about six months later.

The good thing about both projects is they will keep my mind occupied, which means they are nice distractions from thinking about the upcoming anniversary of my wife’s death in two weeks. The run up is proving a little more fraught than I thought it would be. Curious how the mind works there. Anyway, repairing the pool is cool because I take solace in the float, and new speakers means better sound for the music which is another place where I find comfort. So, apparently, everything today is a means to an end, or at least a means to navigating a difficult step in a long journey. So, here’s to water, good music, and patience.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale