Empowerment

My brand new washer was making a buzzing noise during the spin cycle and wouldn't work. My BRAND NEW washer. So I pulled it out from the wall, got a screwdriver, and started taking things apart (after unplugging it first, of course). I found a bobby pin stuck in the drain pipe. So I removed it and put everything back together. The washer works fine now.

The garbage disposal was not functioning. So I bought a new one, uninstalled the old, and installed a pretty and efficient garbage disposal (did you know they come in pretty colors now?).

I wanted to take out the ridiculous shelves someone had put in the pantry. So I got out a hammer and started hitting the shelves until I had every one of them removed. I installed new shelves and painted one wall a pretty gray.

The walls in the kitchen dining room area were a combination of mismatched wood. I bought some primer and paint, got the wooden walls ready, and painted them in the most beautiful shade of off-white. Makes the house look 20 years newer.

Owning my first house has been therapeutic. And empowering. I am a smart woman, and I can do a lot of things. Like Jane so eloquently wrote this morning, I don't need no man.

Don't get me wrong, though. I want to be with the man I am getting to know in recovery, but my survival in the world and my happiness does not depend on him.