I’ve never been a big “do-it-yourself” type of person. Frankly, the thought of fixing something in the home always made me a little nervous. I mean, when you start taking down walls or tearing up carpet, things get serious. There is the potential for a lot of problems, some of which would take a lot of money to fix.
Can’t say that the fear is completely gone, but I am definately becoming more confident in my ability to fix/build things. This weekend I organized the shed out back. We had a ton of junk out there! For the longest time we had a bag of cat food that Cozmo did not like, and instead of giving it away, we just had it sitting there. I don’t know, in case a bunch of homeless cats came by and we needed something to give them!
With everything cleared out I then put in a pegboard across the back wall. I didn’t paint it any pretty colors like Martha, but it’s still a good thing. I hung up all the tools and tape that I have on the back wall then put in a few shelves along each side of the shed for my toolbox and tent and other stuff.
Now that it’s done we still have a lot of stuff in the shed, but it’s not all crap, and more importantly, I can find what I need relatively easily. Say you need a hammer? No prob! Glue? Yep. 10 cans of propane that we won’t use because we threw away our barbeque after a leaky hose almost blew up the house? Check and check.
So you see, if I can do it, then it can’t be too hard right? So go out there and fix something!
Dan,
Amen, brutha. My wife usually belly laughs when my name and the word “handyman” are used in the same sentence. It’s also embarassing when you spent four-odd years studying physics at a major university, and you still think, “If I touch this exposed wire will I die?”
I’ve noticed that the difference between “handy-man” and “idiot” (usually) is very simple: faith. Faith increases with experience. My father-in-law, for example, can fix anything. Why? He believes if he takes some time, reads the manual, jiggers it a bit, he can do anything. And he does.
Of course, having the sanction to put nails in your wall, etc., also helps. Since we purchased our house I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been to Home Depot. And though my skills are still generally lacking, I’m confident enough to say, put up a fence, install a new lamp, and put a foot-long drill through my floor to install cable in our bedroom
Drill through the floor?!?
You’ve taken it to the next level man. I salute you and your handiness.