Small Jobs

May 19, 2020

When we moved into our house three years ago, we did so with full intent of fixing the house to sale.  I came down early and cleaned most of the unneeded stuff that accumulates over three decades.  We purchased new appliances and painted the bedrooms, baths and all the ceilings.  The pool was next on our list, but this required professional help.  Then my back went out and the painting stopped, and money was tight, so we decided to wait on the pool.  We have since decided to stay in the house and have both gone back to work.  This takes additional time away from completing many small jobs around the house.

As Melissa gazed out the back window at our pool/pond last night she became despondent.  What had once been a gleaming saltwater pool was now an algae covered pond filled with frogs and tadpoles.   She innocently asked if I would be able to go to the hardware store and purchase a skimming net to begin the process of cleaning the pool.  I was willing and went to the store this morning.   Since I do not get out often, I always try and pack several tasks into the same outing.   I checked on mulch for the yard and any additional plants that might be needing a home (at 25% off).  Since there were neither at the hardware store, I went to the Coop for mulch, more potting soil, and a few plants.  Just in case.

One of the advantages of growing older is it makes you wiser (at least for some people).  It is not that I am smarter now, I just have more experience.  My experience tells me, there are no small jobs.  I figured the pool would be harder than it appeared, and I was right.  It took an hour to skim the top of the pool, and I have yet to do the deep cleaning required.  Five years of leaves piled in the bottom are waiting for tomorrow.  When I was younger, I would have tackled the deep cleaning immediately after finishing the skimming.  Now I realize there are other things I need to accomplish.  Now about that mulch.

THOUGHTS:  Many of the jobs we take on seem small and unimportant.  Just like my pool I have often found the small jobs are more intensive than I first thought.  I have also found many of these small jobs are essential for adequate completion of the more prominent things that need to be done.  This has also been the case during the pandemic.  The essential jobs we initially worried about are only made possible by the iceberg effect of small jobs that feed them.  There are no small jobs.  Perhaps we should be seeking ways to better compensate those who perform these essential tasks.  If you venture out, stay safe.