Those of you who know me quite well, and most of you do, know that I like to fix things. It's not only that I enjoy fixing things and the end result, it's also a lot to do with not being able to let broken things be broken. If it's fixable, I will try my damnedest to do so. Lucky for me, I am also quite handy and resourceful, and not too shabby with tools (even the human variety!) I like things to be in perfect working condition, from drawers to computers. Things need to work, run smoothly, life needs to be as easy as possible so that there are no delays and frustrations. That's why I love Apple products, they make my life easier, they are super efficient and help me be organised. I also love the extent to which you can customise everything so it's optimised for your life. (I am not paid by Apple to say these things, but I wish I was.)
I am the only one in our little family of three to be like that. Both my mother and sister are quite able to deal with something being broken in their environment for an extended amount of time.
So I ended up doing quite a bit of fixing at my sister's place last year. For at least six months, if not a year before I arrived last year, her bathroom sink was broken. And by broken I mean that she accidentally pushed her push-down drain plug so hard that she pushed out the actual plumbing underneath. If you dropped something in her sink, it would fall through the plug hole and end up in the cabinet underneath. Of course, this also included the water from the tap. So she stopped using it. When I went to stay at her place, I couldn't believe she could live without a functioning sink in her bathroom for months, when it didn't seem that complicated to fix. I had never really fixed plumbing to such an extent before, but I was sure I could manage.
So I went to her local hardware store, explained the situation to the nice man who owned the place, got the necessary advice as well as what I needed to fix the plumbing. It wasn't hard, the hardest part was the lack of good tools. For example, I had to measure the circumference of her drainpipes by circling them on a piece of paper and taking that into the hardware store. This was mere days before Phizz and I became close friends. It would have been fantastic to have know Phizz then as well as I do now, he would have had all the tools I needed. Nevertheless, I got the job done and it is still fully functioning.
Phizz is, like me, also very fixy and I love that. He is probably even more fixy than I am. He fixes leaky taps in public toilets and other things around that the world not owned by him, which has often made people think he was the hired engineer rather than just a good Samaritan. I don't go that far, but I go further than most. I fix things for people, but often I fix things that belong to others that I need to use just because I cannot stand using broken/inefficient things. My sister's shower and mixer tap really need to be fixed at the moment. It is only because I didn't have the tools with me that it is still spraying water out the side where it shouldn't.
But it is also a new way of thinking that has stopped me from fixing everything: sometimes I just need to let things be broken, because it's not mine to fix and the person I fix things for might not appreciate the time and effort I put into fixing their things, and/or they don't even care it is broken. Often they are things I would only use a few times in my life. They are not my problem. Half of the halogen lights at my sister's place aren't working, most notably the two bedside lights. It frustrated the hell out of me the few nights I have slept there in the last two months, but I haven't replaced them because I couldn't afford to and that's also probably why my sister hasn't. It's not a priority for her, why should it be for me?
But I do love the satisfaction I feel when I have fixed something and it is restored to a fully functioning order. Today I fixed the two spring-loaded dog leads that Mum's dog had broken (by chewing through the cords when we used them to tie him to something when he rather just run around) and now they are just fine again. She bought the second one to replace the first broken one, and she would have had to another buy a new one if I hadn't been around. Those things are not cheap. So I feel extra happy when I can fix things like that.
And so I have a million things that I fix around the world. I like fixing things, I will keep on fixing things until I will be frustrated to the max when I cannot do so anymore because I am old and no longer nimble. But until then, fixy is my middle name. Florence Fixy Nulens.
I am the only one in our little family of three to be like that. Both my mother and sister are quite able to deal with something being broken in their environment for an extended amount of time.
So I ended up doing quite a bit of fixing at my sister's place last year. For at least six months, if not a year before I arrived last year, her bathroom sink was broken. And by broken I mean that she accidentally pushed her push-down drain plug so hard that she pushed out the actual plumbing underneath. If you dropped something in her sink, it would fall through the plug hole and end up in the cabinet underneath. Of course, this also included the water from the tap. So she stopped using it. When I went to stay at her place, I couldn't believe she could live without a functioning sink in her bathroom for months, when it didn't seem that complicated to fix. I had never really fixed plumbing to such an extent before, but I was sure I could manage.
So I went to her local hardware store, explained the situation to the nice man who owned the place, got the necessary advice as well as what I needed to fix the plumbing. It wasn't hard, the hardest part was the lack of good tools. For example, I had to measure the circumference of her drainpipes by circling them on a piece of paper and taking that into the hardware store. This was mere days before Phizz and I became close friends. It would have been fantastic to have know Phizz then as well as I do now, he would have had all the tools I needed. Nevertheless, I got the job done and it is still fully functioning.
Phizz is, like me, also very fixy and I love that. He is probably even more fixy than I am. He fixes leaky taps in public toilets and other things around that the world not owned by him, which has often made people think he was the hired engineer rather than just a good Samaritan. I don't go that far, but I go further than most. I fix things for people, but often I fix things that belong to others that I need to use just because I cannot stand using broken/inefficient things. My sister's shower and mixer tap really need to be fixed at the moment. It is only because I didn't have the tools with me that it is still spraying water out the side where it shouldn't.
But it is also a new way of thinking that has stopped me from fixing everything: sometimes I just need to let things be broken, because it's not mine to fix and the person I fix things for might not appreciate the time and effort I put into fixing their things, and/or they don't even care it is broken. Often they are things I would only use a few times in my life. They are not my problem. Half of the halogen lights at my sister's place aren't working, most notably the two bedside lights. It frustrated the hell out of me the few nights I have slept there in the last two months, but I haven't replaced them because I couldn't afford to and that's also probably why my sister hasn't. It's not a priority for her, why should it be for me?
But I do love the satisfaction I feel when I have fixed something and it is restored to a fully functioning order. Today I fixed the two spring-loaded dog leads that Mum's dog had broken (by chewing through the cords when we used them to tie him to something when he rather just run around) and now they are just fine again. She bought the second one to replace the first broken one, and she would have had to another buy a new one if I hadn't been around. Those things are not cheap. So I feel extra happy when I can fix things like that.
And so I have a million things that I fix around the world. I like fixing things, I will keep on fixing things until I will be frustrated to the max when I cannot do so anymore because I am old and no longer nimble. But until then, fixy is my middle name. Florence Fixy Nulens.
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