Electrical Outlets and Plumbing

The last few days we have had a handyman come to our house to do various projects, and he is coming back today to do some more.  It's funny how you slowly learn to be content with broken toilet  bowl lids.  Well I guess content is probably not the right word, its more of a lack of desire for change that settles into your thinking.  And I think I used my title as "missionary" as an excuse.  Toilet lid that slides sideways when you open and close it - a small price to pay in exchange for the missionaries living in mud huts who don't have indoor plumbing at all.  Long extension cords draped in three different directions, coming from my western style washing machine - I should be grateful I don't have to carry my laundry to the river and scrub them by hand.  Using 3M sticky tabs and hooks so the cords of our television and DVD player can reach the only available electrical outlet - embarrassment, should missionary be allowed such luxury as a tv?

My Dad is a firm believer in quality.  It was one of the tidbits of life that his father taught him and then he in turn taught me and my siblings.  The value of investing in quality over a cheap price tag is well worth it in the long run.  When presented with two options, fix the sink for $10 or hire the well trained and reputable plumber who uses quality material - it is the better value to invest in quality.  This tidbit of wisdom always pricked my conscience when I would watch the handyman our landlord hired fix our plumbing with the cheapest plastic fixtures available from the local store.  The dad in me was not satisfied in such work.  But the missionary in me would silence the dad as they both went running to my conscience.  My conscience would always side with missionary, scolding dad "we are missionaries now, we must learn to be content with broken toilet lids and long extension cords taped up with 3M stickies."  Oh well, when in Rome....

But then a lady, who comes over a couple days a week to help me around the house, starting pointed out all of these funny Mickey-Mouse-jobs.  She told me she knows someone who could come and make it nice.  At first I ignored it, another person to use plastic parts that will only break in 5 months?  Nah, no thanks.  But then I started asking around to others who have also used this same handyman.  "He is well worth the wait, he does a good job."  Wow, quality?  My dad would be proud.  :)

So, I made a long list of all of the mickey-mouse-jobs that missionary had been silencing dad about for the past two years, and I presented it to the handyman.  There are 18 items on the list.  Ha ha!  And slowly each item is being checked off and completed.  The owner of the house has been very kind and understanding with all of these changes, for which I am grateful.  Our washing machine now has an electric outlet and drainage system that isn't being draped in six feet going three direction directions.  I have a small electric fan on the shelf above my kitchen sink to help make dish washing more pleasant, because the handyman put in a new electrical outlet nearby.  And many more.  I feel like I live in luxury now.

(The handyman added the electrical outlet and also the drainage system 

that drains through the wall to the outside drain.  Nice!)

What will I do now?  I think I will buy an oven.  Ha ha.... it's something I wanted to do but always talked myself out of saying, "why bother when there is no place to put it and we'll only have to mickey mouse it to set it up."  But now I have a beautiful new space with the proper electrical outlet to put an oven.  So what will I do now?  I think I will go oven shopping.  My conscience has been freed up to make this house our home, that it is okay to make things nice and convenient - desiring a properly closing toilet lid is okay.  Thank you handyman who believes in quality and doing things the proper way.