It's the Little Things

When the twins outgrew their infant carriers last year, I bought them a used "big kid" double stroller. It was a great deal - I think it only cost $30 or something! Since it was used, it has a couple quirks, like squeaky wheels. (I can hear my grandmother saying now, "Did you try WD-40?" No Grandma, not yet, but I should!) It was also missing 2 screws that held the front canopy cover on. So, whenever I'd open/close the stroller, the canopy bar would pop out of its holder. It wasn't really a big deal or injury risk because the canopy was still secured by a second bar, though it was certainly a minor annoyance. I kept meaning to take a look at it and try to fix it, but I would always forget once we were done strolling.

Well, this past weekend I got inspired to be productive. So, while the boys napped and DF was home to stay with them, I inspected the stroller canopies to find that the back seat used the same mechanism as the front. I removed one of the back screw to use as a template and took it to Home Depot with me. They didn't sell that small of screw and sent me to Ace Hardware. Ace, living up to its name as the helpful place, was definitely the right store for this quest. I had two different employees helping me, and in minutes they'd located just what I needed. For a whopping $0.20, including tax, I was the owner of two shiny new screws. Now the stroller canopy stays up nicely and I don't have to keep jabbing it back into its spot.

We got this stroller last fall. Wow! Why did it take me 6+ months for such a minor fix? Dealing with the broken canopy was definitely a hassle. It took maybe 45 minutes to fix it, and that includes going to two different stores plus having to dig the toolbox out of its hiding place in the boys' playroom so I could get the needed screwdriver. Once I was done I felt so accomplished. Like, wow, pat myself on the back, I just finished a DIY project!

It's the same feeling I get when I mend a 1" rip in a seam. I have an old college sweatshirt that has gotten me through many a winter. The wrist seam was starting to unravel, and it bugged me for probably a year before I finally sat down with a needle and thread to fix it. Now it's nice and solid and, well, ready for next winter ;)

So if you've been procrastinating on some project, let me encourage you today to just do it. It feels good to accomplish something, no matter how small. And it feels even better not to have to deal with whatever little thing was annoying you.

P.S. if I was a pastor, I would totally use these examples in a sermon. But I don't know what the sermon would be about, so that's probably why I'm not a pastor.