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What you’ll discover in this weeks podcast my offer you some insights about maintaining, growing, and resolving problems!
- Tearing down the chimney.
- Rebuilding a wall.
- Watching kids play in sand
- Addressing issues with coaching
- Overcoming addictions by taking action to create new habits.
Hi, You’re listening to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments with Linda Gullo. This is Podcast # 54. Welcome as we unfold a few stories about rebuilding. Rebuilding things physically and then addressing how to rebuild and renew your own life to the fullest.
We all have learned ways of moving forward when it comes to making decisions. What is your system for resolving issues? Do you have system in place? Perhaps you do the PRO and CON lists? What you’ll discover in this weeks podcast my offer you some insights about maintaining, growing, and resolving problems!
This week there continues to be a great deal of action happeningat our home. The hedges that create a boundary between the street and a fence to our yard are being trimmed. It takes a couple men several hours to trim the top 20 inches of growth. It is only May and will probably need another clipping during the summer. Well the crew to trim them came earlier in the week and got the street side complete as the rain began to come down. Now several days later the bushes were still in need of being completed, when I saw the men arriving this morning. I was indeed pleased that they were following through. When things need to be completed it seems like another thing on my to do list. I like to follow through and see that goals are accomplished.
Two weeks ago I noticed a change in the family room flooring and called in a builder that I trust for some advice. It was discovered that moisture was between a portion of our lower siding and the foundation. Apparently river rock was too close to the wall. It required removing the rocks and relocating them. One of my older grandkids came to help me do that project! I was pleased that he is strong and was able to carry the rock to another part of our yard.
The builder was also checking out the roof and in the process of seeing where the dampness was coming from, our gutters were cleaned and blown out. On the roof was a carcass of a rabbit that had become a meal for a bird of prey, probably it was an Owl or Hawk that had visited us and decided our roof was a good place to set up his dinner. It was a sloppy eater however, and left parts of its dinner on the roof that needed to be cleaned up as well. So the roof was washed down and the gutters cleaned out well.
Upon further inspection the brick surfaces of our chimney were showing wear and tear over the last 43 years. Yes, you guessed the rest of this story! The chimney needed to be replaced. The name of man who specializes in Masonry work was given to me. He came and found that while the mortar was in place, the integrity of the brick had been giving way. We had the option of waiting a few years or addressing the problem now. We decided now was the time to rebuild the chimney. As you might expect, brick had to be selected to match our home and set up to remove and replace the chimney began. He built an elaborate scaffold to go up and down with concrete and bricks. Fast forward after several days of rain to finally days without rain, and the process began.
The pounding was excessive to break it apart and take the old chimney parts away. Our poor dog, Miss Rosy could not understand who was on our roof or intruding into her space. In an attempt to relieve some of her anxiety I took her to the office for a couple of hours. Several of my neighbors are not around on Wednesdays, so it was quiet. She curled up in her bed next to me and took a snooze. It was a bit quieter when we returned home, but she curled up next to me once more and seemed to recognize that even though there was some activity going on nearby it was much better. Guess we all need to take breaks from stress and go hideout for a few hours.
The man who originally diagnosed the initial issues, returned to cut away a section of insulation and boards underneath the siding. It was then aired out, insulated, and put in plastic barriers to prevent damage to our inside wood flooring. Things have once again come back together at the Gullo homestead.
If you’ve ever watched kids playing in the sand along a beach near water, they become artists. The castles and houses they build are formed with great intent, adding in roads and pools of water. Then swoosch the waves arrive and the creations are instantly destroyed.
I am telling you about the things that are created must often be lost so bigger, better, and more up-to-date options can take their place. Once things are completed or changed out, we accommodate and see them as normal.
I have listened to those who have won over addictions. Addictions are hard to break. It may take numerous attempts to change the habits and patterns that keep people addicted. Often they are aware of their addiction, but believe it isn’t that bad or really necessary to take action. Information means nothing until it is acted upon. Resolutions, work, accountability, and support help us through such transitions.
Resolutions to cleaning up overgrown hedges and replacing old chimney’s may be easier to fix then the more abstract and mental thoughts that plague us. Being creative and building imaginary castles from sand may be the fun times to take our minds off of the everyday stresses. The sounds of splashing water on a beach or the rain pouring over a skylight really are not in our control. We can see them as refreshing or threatening. So the water can destroy our sandcastles, but one can laugh and giggle and begin again or get mad and frustrated. Changing our reaction can be as simple as changing our thought patterns. We can reframe the things that bother us.
But to truly make progress toward developing workable patterns in our lives is important. Take the pianist who has practices the same song over and over again to get the timing and melody just right, we too need to practice. We need to change our habits by repeating new ones. We need to break away from injurious thought like the ones that cause us to keep us addicted to bad behaviors. We need to understand the thoughts we have in our heads are the ones that can lead us into better actions and into better places.
If you have ever watched a duck swimming along in the water what do you see? They seem to glide effortlessly along the surface. They have been doing it since they were tiny ducklings. They have been practicing and learning where it is safe to swim. Like ducks we need to let things roll off our backs, to deal with rain upon our heads, and to be able to swim great lengths. Yes we need to have learned who is safe and where to go for help. Maybe today is a good day to think about your next step in moving ahead. “Just one step may put you on the escalator of success!”
Join me in the coming weeks as I interview women entrepreneurs who with minor moments of clarity and insight have begun seeing Mini Miracles explode in their lives.
Until then “Delight in Living” and have a great week! Bye for now.