It’s incredible how a simple project can take over to make a minor problem bigger. Hubby and I had studied a water stain that had embedded itself into the acryllic surface of the bathroom sinks. The larger bathroom had this dark brown, ugly stain that was huge. It was there when we first moved in 4 years ago and  at that time, we had thought a bit of “elbow grease” would correct the problem. No amount of scrubbing and/or soaking with various cleansers–supposedly guaranteed to remove stubborn stains from most surfaces–worked. The smaller bathroom, usually used by guests, had a much smaller and barely there stain. We decided to invest in two new sinks. But because the original sinks and countertops were all one piece, we also had to check out new countertops. And because the old taps were looking tire with new sinks and countertops–yep, you guessed it–we also got new faucets. The plumbing part of the project would have been very straight-forward and a simple matter of connecting pipes to its correct attachments. The problem loomed a bit bigger because the new sinks were a bit bigger making the alignment of water pipes to plumbing pipes off-kilter. It needed some special attention to make it work, which meant needing a plumber to do what Hubby had planned to do himself. Needless to say, our project also got more expensive by using a professional plumber.

Of course, this got me thinking about Life itself. Navigating through all the rainbows and pitfalls throughout our lives can be both exhilarating and daunting. I firmly believe that we are given challenges so we can’t be too complacent when things go smoothly for a period of time. I think we need to rethink our goals and priorities from time-to-time. When we hit that pothole or detour in our road, it reminds us that challenge makes you think. Whatever decision(s) made at that time can change a person’s pathway. Whatever changes in the pathway can make a stronger person—stronger because it takes courage and honesty to change; vision to see what makes it work. When too many challenges strike at once, it takes an extremely strong and focused person to remain on his/her chosen course without getting worn-out or disillusioned.

We all face confrontations, disputes and encounters in life that makes us pause and think. It’s an amazing process how my thoughts rambled along because it brought me to my writing. I had faced a number of challenges over the past few months that resulted in my writing being temporarily abandoned. One of the best tests of whether or not to proceed with a manuscript  is to pick it up and read it with a fresh eye. After four months, my story still  grabbed my attention.  Renovation projects may be ongoing, but a writing project must conclude at some point in time.  My challenge is to continue my story to the end so others will eventually read it too.