Growing up

I have been reflecting on the meaning of "growing up" recently. I believe that I have been able to look at life with fresh eyes again now that I am somewhat settled into my new home. The past 5 years have been a whirlwind ever since Cambria was born and I decided to apply to Princeton Seminary. I am starting to re-experience the basic rhythms of life - a rhythm that isn't marked by "what's next?"...

One aspect of growing up involves taking ownership because nobody else is going to come to your rescue. This should be a basic observation but I am seeing how it hasn't been in my life. I have been blessed with parents who provided for me as a child and have been a tremendous help to me in many ways throughout my life. I can see now that I sometimes still fall into a child mindset when a challenge comes my way.

Tonight, I went against that mindset. Our kitchen sink was leaking and I was unable to fix the problem right away. I had a choice. The first choice was to cling to the reality that I am not a handy guy and give up. The second choice was to pursue a solution and take ownership of my sink.

First, I went to Home Depot and I actually asked for help. That was a big step. The plumbing representative gave me some things to consider but none of them seemed to fit my exact problem. Second, I returned home and saw the problem with new eyes (also after cruising some Kohler sink docs online) and I was able to fix the problem!

Right now, the sink is not leaking. Right now, I feel pretty good about myself. Right now, I feel like I took one more step in growing up.