Solid steps

For the past three years, the bottom shelf of my refrigerator door has not been a shelf at all. The plastic piece that fits into the door and holds the bar across the shelf had broken, rendering the shelf unusable. Which is frustrating because that's the shelf that holds the tall stuff, bottles of water, say, or a bottle of champagne.

I've kept the broken piece and the metal bar on the floor in the pantry thinking one day I'd look at them and they'd be magically fixed, or more likely, I'd figure out what to do.

This morning I looked at that plastic piece and couldn't bear it another minute. It's a Kenmore, so I called Sears. I don't know why I didn't figure that out three years ago, but it honestly did not occur to me. And it's a good thing I called them because when the woman on the phone asked me how often I cleaned the coils, my response was, I have to clean the coils? Seriously, no one told me. Then I had to ask her where the coils were. After my education, I placed my order. A coil cleaner brush and a replacement shelf part are on their way to my mailbox. For a total of $6.05. When I hung up the phone, the sense of accomplishment I felt was monumental. I even patted myself on the back.

That's how the day started, which for me lately is pretty solid.

And it kept going just like that. I attended the Ash Wednesday service at church and it felt good to be there, to pray and sing, to worship and listen. After the service, I drove the long way to my mother's house, sunroof open, windows down, the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair. When I was visiting Mom, she was in good spirits. She asked me how church was. I asked her how she knew I had been to church. She made a funny look on her face and said, Because your forehead is all black. I had forgotten, and quickly reached up to my forehead as if I could feel the ash there. She gave a little laugh. Then she smiled at me, and I smiled back at her. And it felt good, that moment between us.



When I drove home from Mom's, I took the same long road, again with the windows down and the sun shining through and on my skin. It felt good. I felt good. And at that point, I had two choices: Go home and catch up on the work I'd missed, or postpone that and take Cheyenne and her boyfriend Isaac to the park. Cheyenne's been in high spirits lately because Isaac is staying with us while his people are out of town. She was in even higher spirits when I grabbed her favorite collar and told her we were going to the park. I don't know who enjoyed it more, them or me, but I do know that the three of us enjoyed it very much.