I didn't realize that actually having a house would make me more crazy than I was when I just WANTED to have a house.
I THOUGHT I was being obsessive when I was looking at real estate listings and fantasizing about what kind of house we MIGHT get.
How wrong I was.
At least before I was being obsessive from the comfort of my chair. Plus being obsessive about fictional things is cheap.
Now I'm being obsessive about repairs. In a real house. Which we own (or are at least obligated to pay for over the next 30 years).
Repairs mean repairmen. And repairmen cost money.
Lots of money.
Right now I feel like I live in an episode of Sesame Street. "These Are The People in Your Neighborhood".
So far I've met the plumber, the electrician, the locksmith, the mason, the roofer, and the cabinet-maker. I'd like to meet the baker but I haven't figured out how to fit fresh baked goods into our home-repair budget.
I've also met the scratch and dent appliance salesman, but he doesn't count because he hasn't come to my house yet. I just keep visiting him at the store because I can't manage to decide on a refrigerator that I want. Because...get this... they are all scratched and dented!
And now I've got all these other repairs to obsess about too. Things too small to hire someone for. But plenty big enough to obsess about.
Like doors. and doorknobs. and doorstops. and strike plates. and caulk. and paint. and painting doors. and painting rooms. and closet rods. and shower rods. and drains that don't hold water. and how to move a fish tank.
In other news, art therapy is really lovely. It's a wonderful dance the therapist does with Daniel. Finding the anxiety and backing away from it to something that is more comfortable, and then slowly bringing him back around to what made him anxious but from a different angle so that it doesn't raise his alarm bells. And doing it all with art!
I think that we will be doing this therapy for quite awhile. After just a few sessions I have seen an improvement in his self-esteem.
Plus art just makes you happy!
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