Small victory

I used to be in awe of those guys who can fix anything. You know the ones. You describe a problem with your car, TV, air conditioner or kitchen faucet and immediately they’re able to tell you what’s likely the underlying issue and how to resolve it.

Well, I’m still in awe of those guys. Savants, I think. But, day by day, the divide between their knowledge and mine is narrowing.

Not by much, I’ll admit. But I’m gaining ground nevertheless.

Today was another day. I achieved another small victory in my seemingly endless battle against all things automotive, industrial, electronic, mechanical or similar.

I successfully removed and replaced an electric receptacle. And I’m here alive and well to tell about it. Not so much as a single, suddenly curly hair on my head as a result.

That I did so, by myself, is a bit of a shock to me. (No pun intended. Honestly.)

I’m not particularly skilled in such matters. I’m also easily intimidated by the thought of undertaking these types of tasks.

Especially when they potentially involve electricity coursing through my body.

Yet I attempted it anyway. I needed to. For my house’s sake after an outlet crumbled two weeks ago when I removed its cover while deconstructing my basement, causing several other outlets to short out upstairs and down. For my sake, just to challenge myself in a new and different way.

I would say it was a remarkably simple task, but to do so would detract from my sense of accomplishment, and this is my blog after all, so I’ll say it was painstakingly difficult. A job for an entire crew of electricians, I tell you. There were sparks flying everywhere and a crowd of onlookers watched in amazement as I braved the danger. I was spared only by my guile, intelligence and rubber underwear.

OK, maybe it wasn’t that special. Not to most people. But it was noteworthy for me.

I did it by myself. I conquered another home task. I conquered my healthy fear of electricity. (Funny what one or two negative experiences with electricity will do for a guy’s fear of the stuff.)

And I added another thing to a rapidly growing list of things I’ve successful done on my own lately – along with replacing the thermostat at my mother’s house, splicing landscape wiring in the back yard and disconnecting plumbing in my basement’s bathroom -- that, frankly, surprise even me.