Slice of Life - Monday, March 2

Modern Day Conveniences

Okay, we can all agree that modern day conveniences are absolutely great when they work and horrible when they don't.

Our dishwasher - which is only a few years old - has decided to misbehave.  It fills with water, empties water, and dries as it should.  However, it refuses to spin the arm and shoot water around to wash any dishes.

After doing a great deal of online research and investigating, we thought we had identified the problem.  Parts were ordered and arrived fairly quickly.  Unfortunately, after being taken apart and reassembled with new pieces...that stinker still refuses to wash dishes.  

Any time we take on a project like this, I can't help but wonder: Why is it that things look so much worse before they get better?

Why is it when we have to organize materials or fix something, we end up taking everything apart, making it look worse than it had?  We just stare at our disasters in awe wondering if we should have gotten into the mess in the first place.  Sometimes I ask myself why I started in the first place or when a little fairy might come along and rescue me and finish the task when I look away.

Eventually the mess turns into organized chaos and a sense of accomplishment replaces the doubt.  I love that feeling.  I love sharing my passion for organizing with my students and getting them to lay out everything and slowly put things where they belong.  There's a sense of relief and pride that they experience.  They walk away a little lighter and leave behind a recycling bin that's a little heavier.  

If only the dishwasher would get that message and realize that the little bit of chaos we've created should leave it feeling fresher than ever and ready to get the job done.  My dry hands and sore back sure would appreciate that because I'm tired of washing dishes by hand.  Let's hope this modern day convenience gets back to work ASAP.