Monday, January 24, 2011
Construction and Mindfulness
Construction and mindfulness--not necessarily a pairing I would have thought of before my current state of living in a construction zone, but I'm realizing that being present and mindful is another very valuable lesson I am learning from this remodel. The game plan is always changing and frequently I'm the last to know of the changes. What I thought was on the docket turns out not to be, always for good reason, but it can be unnerving. So construction is teaching me to go with the flow and to be prepared for change and after all, that is what life is all about, isn't it. The one certainty about life is that it is never the same, it is always changing, and we never know what will happen next. The future is not ours, no matter how much we might think we can plan it, order it, make it ours. Life doesn't work that way any more than my construction. And of course, the past is not ours either. It is gone and can't be changed. The fact that my poor home was sadly neglected and that it was built and changed by do-it-yourselfers with no permits, no knowledge, and no money, that fact can't be changed. But the home can be rescued (as can I and my pets) with loving care. I get so excited when someone tells me that something was actually done correctly! So far, the only time that has happened has been with the trusses in my attic, but it was a glorious moment to find out something had been done properly for this poor home. Anyway, the past can't be changed, and the future is not ours, but this moment, this present moment is, and in this present moment I can rescue my home, and I can insure that things are done properly for it, for me, and for my four-footed companions, no matter what the past and no matter what the future. Therefore, I will go with the flow, and know that all is being done in the way that the universe sees fit, and that looking beyond this moment is simply an exercise in futility. Meanwhile, I shall work at crafting the haiku I thought of while I was in the shower this morning (talk about a way to stay present--writing haiku is fantastic for that!), and just wait to see how this day evolves and what moves forward from here. Namaste!
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Oh man, I can so relate to this. We bought the same kind of house. Built by someone who owned a hammer, so fancied himself a builder. We've had to correct almost everything, most of the problems only revealed in the course of other, "simpler" projects. We and our bank account have been stunned several times! We're the fourth owners of this house, but only one other ever did anything to the place that made a lick of sense, and he didn't do nearly enough, you ask me! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're practically rebuilding your home from the foundation up, which is basically what we've done, but we've done it over the course of nearly 20 years! You are definitely on a fast track. And you have a great attitude. I have such remodeling burnout I don't know if I can muster a similar one, but I'll practice on the next project involving contractors. Actually, I can start before then, since we've been kept waiting a week just for the estimate, upon which much hangs. (There are days that any haiku I might write would be full of the F Bomb and the word "contractor." LOL)
I'm glad your trusses were done right! It definitely helps to have a house with "good bones."
Best of luck, Daphne! Hope every present moment leads smoothly to the next one, till the entire project is done! :-)
Thanks, Laloofah, and yes rescuing a home is definitely a challenge, and yes, by the time I'm done, especially now that I know the roof is bad, I will have rebuild most of the house from the ground up (or crawl space up as I've had to put in sump pumps there and get that insulated). And anyone sane would have taken longer, but you know at 65yrs. I'd just as soon get it done and have more time to enjoy it. Good luck with your estimate--what for? Hope it comes in as you want, and I don't know where I'd be without Leigh--she even stayed late last night to be sure I didn't freak when I had to move without warning into my bedroom because of the mold. I know I'm in good hands and she does so much to buffer me from sub-contractors, although even there I have over all been extremely lucky with guys with good energies in my home, for which I am very thankful.
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