It’s that time again. Feel Good Friday is here. This week I had a plumber come to change the faucets in my tub. During the repair process the plumber discovered a wire that was old and worn and in the wrong spot. The wire was actually touching the pipes and making the pipe extremely hot. The wire was also starting to put a dark spot on the cement where it was starting to burn. When the plumber went to adjust the placement of the wire the wire broke leaving a live exposed wire in my wall. The break knocked out the power to all of the overhead lights in my 2nd floor apartment. The plumber was able to recommend an electrician who fixed the wire the next day. I was only without overhead lights for one night. Luckily my outlets were unaffected so none of the food in my fridge went to waste. The plumber emphasized over and over to me how I could have been killed if that wire would have sparked while touching the pipe. I could have been electrocuted while taking a shower 🙁
What does this have to do with Feel Good Friday or even my quest for Joy??? For my quest to be a success, for me to firmly and permanently grasp Joy I have learn to identify it in all situations. Even the most unfortunate situations can give you a little joy, something to feel good about. Even the death of a loved one gave me a feel good moment resulting from the friends and family that reached out to me with kindness love and support, although I could not recognize it right away. So, on this Feel Good Friday I’m asking you all to count your blessings, think of things that make you feel good, and to focus especially on those Feel Good Moments that have come out of initially negative circumstances. Let’s build this skill of finding the good in bad situations together.
Although I found out that some things in my house are not as safe as I thought and I am out of a few hundred dollars for the repairs, the experience has given me some feel good moments.
•I feel truly blessed to have an example of how God is constantly blessing me when I’m completely unaware.
•My shower is back in service
•I now know an electrician
•The electrician was able to discuss some of the other things I’d like to get done in the house
•I am more knowledgeable about the condition of my home
•I found out some of the renovations I am planning will not cost as much as I thought
•I found out my plumber has a greater knowledge of home maintenance than I would have guessed
•The plumber checked on some other things that I was concerned about and relieved some of my stress
•I have a better understanding of what to look for in terms of plumbing and electrical problems when I am house hunting again.
•I am a little less afraid of home repairs knowing that even if the experts find other problems I will be able to handle them
Please share the Joyful Feel good Moment that came out of negative or unexpected circumstances.
So glad you caught that problem – wow!
The comment above mine reminds me that 30 years ago, my dad coughed up some blood, had some tests and they discovered he had lung cancer. Turns out that the blood he coughed up had nothing to do with the cancer, though. Still, they found it super early… and 30 years later, I still have a wonderful father in my life! Phew! 🙂
~Tui
p.s. I'm here from #FBF – finally!
Often its those exact moments when we say… Why me. We later realize… Why good thing that happened! My father in law had a hole in his intestines, they did emergency surgery… just to find out when they went in he had stage 4 cancer. They removed every piece of it they could find… and he has been in remission for a year. Thank-God.. literally, he was stricken ill with that unplanned surgery. Thanks Joy for sharing your Joy!
This is great, Chasing Joy! I love it when folks see the positive that emerged from a potentially negative event. As we chase joy, we develop that "joyful" muscle and put it to work in challenging circumstances. Bravo!
I know how hard it can be to see the good in bad situations. A year of death, (my partner's grandmother and mother, and my step dad) taught me that if life can go on after a year like that, anything really is possible.
Peace,
Morgan
I have resolved to look for the good in all situations as well. I recently had to get the transmission in my car replaced. I ended up being without my car for over 2 weeks. Yes, it was quite a hassle to catch the bus and have to depend on other people to get rides to and from places that I couldnt get a bus EVERYDAY, but the joy was found in knowing that I have people who are willing to reach out and help me. And I was able to spend some times with friends and family that I would not have spent with them had my car been up and running.
My fondest memory was when I came home from work to find a MASSIVE leak in the first floor apartment bathroom. It was 11:30pm and it was 5 degrees outside. My tenant did not inform me but I noticed ice forming outside of the house. I could hear the water gushing out of the pipe. At that moment I thought "What the heck was I thinking buying this dump" But I did what I had to do. I don't know how I shut the water off but I did. After a few plumbers attempting to fix it. I found someone that could do the work.
That was my first "Landlord Duty Call". I've had tons since then but I've learned that I can keep calm and focus on the problem without freaking out.
I joke sometimes and say this house is my baby but I actually think it is.After that first issue, I went through all of the apartments… made a master repair list and every year I complete at least 1 or 2 projects if I can.
I'm grateful for this place… it's taught me a lot about me and how to handle pressure.I think…. find the problem and fix it. Getting flustered and angry doesn't get the problem taken care of. I've also learned to us this skill at work, with family, and difficult situations.
I have found sooo much joy in the home ownership process (and I call it a process b/c it is never really ending!). Yes, spending money is a given, but in your case you are able to see how spending a little money SAVED you something much more important – your LIFE, more money down the road or maybe a fire or something like that. AND you now know that you have 2 reliable servicemen who can help you with home improvements in the future – a very useful thing to know.
On a different note, it is the small things about home ownership that I love – tucking my nephew in every night, laughing hysterically at tv shows with my family in my living room, having friends over and having enough room to enjoy, movie night down in the rec room, etc.
But the nicest thing so far has been my neighbors – they are wonderful, good people who have helped with BIG stuff (painting my rec room, fixing my drain spout, installing 2 outdoor lights, etc.) and SMALL things (advice on just about everything, signing for packages for us, letting certain repairmen into my house, listening to my car b/c it is rattling – that happened this morning!!!! and many many more).
So I'd like to give a shout out to Peggy, Ed, Patty and Eddie for being such wonderful neighbors who have brought me MUCH joy!!!!
🙂 bam