Broken

Hubby and I seem to be in a cycle of disrepair. Lately it feels as though everything is breaking.

A few weeks ago, right in the middle of the colossal sweat fest when temps soared past 30 degrees C to the "feels like" 40 degrees, right after I expressed my gratitude for air conditioning on Facebook, our air conditioner took an unpaid leave of absence. Just like that. Broken. Add it to the list under the broken pool heater.

At the cottage we struggled with the "new" twenty-year old, lightly used boat motor. Couldn't get it to start -- not without removing the motor cover and spark plugs and dribbling in a little gas first -- something we figured out after we donned our trusty lifejackets and sat ready for our tour of the lake. Needs a little tune up is all. Add to the list "needs repair", under the Zodiac dinghy that has a  s l o w  leak - not a problem cause the motor doesn't work. And then there's the totally rotten, towering birch we discovered leaning dangerously close to the snazzy new deck we just put on the cottage. It has to come down. It too, is broken.

Home from the cottage, hubby went to tackle the algae in the pool. Got halfway done and the vacuum pole snapped. Broken! He moved on to the lawn which hadn't been cut for the few weeks that we were on vacation. The lawn mower started, coughed, sputtered and stopped. Hubby coaxed it along with it cutting out every 30 seconds until it finally wheezed its last emission. It is an old mower, well past its prime. And its broken.

And Harmony called to ask if there was a reason the cottage water pump wouldn't be working... and after my heart coming close to a dead stop, she called back to say she found a loose wire after calling the repair hotline (gotta remember to get that number from her) and all is well -- for now.

Lots of broken in a short few weeks. And what does it mean?

It reminds me of what is not broken and that which is good in my world. As hubby always says, these are first world problems. Many would love to complain about the woes of owning a second summer home... or the aggravation of their electronics failing. The list of broken is long -- and in the whole scheme of things - unimportant.

The things that matter are in perfect working order: me and my family are strong and healthy and my relationships are working. My job is fulfilling and my work family a joy to be with. All is well in my world, and soon, all that is broken will be repaired or replaced. How lucky am I?