And So It Begins

This week’s theme has been moderate chaos, in a subtle, middle-class way. Our kitchen renovation finally got started — the physical part done by others, that is. I swore I wouldn’t bore people with my renovation story, but I have now decided there is much to learn from such experiences.
Lesson 1: Communication is key. All the usual rules of communication apply, including the one about what is lost when a message is transferred in a mediated situation. Example: the plumber is coming Tuesday means the plasterer is coming Thursday and he actually will do what the plumber was supposed to do because there really is no plumber. Luckily, the plasterer turns out to be a pretty good plumber.
Lesson 2: Timing is key. Everything happens in its own time, though that time may not be evident to those who would like to know. Electricians may arrive full of enthusiasm, but they may not actually electrify anything until the higher powers deem it possible, namely the hydro gods and their cohorts, the inspectors. Power, it seems, is sometimes invisible.
Lesson 3: Relax. It’s only a kitchen. Being without a functioning kitchen for a few days leads me to muse upon those who have no running water nearby, no safe drinking water in fact, and to think about how that changes one’s life. How it becomes large in the day, larger than earning a living or tending a rose garden. That is the most important lesson.