Drain the Pain

 

One thing that gives me a small joy these days is looking at a problem that would have, in the past, caused me to be flummoxed and arrive at a solution.  It is all micro stuff for the most part. No seismic shifting insight yet a step to resolution. I  have never had a ton of confidence in being able to solve issues in the physical realm that are material in nature. Hence, my philosophical orientation.  As it is said, don't live in a city where scholars rule. Crumbling infrastructure but fine rhetoric.

But, I have made progress in the last few years by observing the problem squarely and then working backwards. Case in point, I have damp basement. I have a dehumidifier running off and on all day and night. Up until last summer, I'd trudge upstairs with the full of water container unit and empty it into the sink. Depending on the time of year, it could be daily or every couple of days. It was a pain. I did this for a decade.

I was hanging out at a friend's house over the summer and he had his dehumidifier outside to clean out the hose that drained the water out of his container.  It got me wondering if I had a drainage spout on my dehumidifier also. I figured I did but had to confirm. Yes, I did. 

I was talking to another mechanically inclined friend and he suggested I run a hose to the sump pump.  That would not work as I had that part of the basement framed and drywalled. I was hoping to finish the basement at some point but had to give  up as it just is too wet and I didn't want to spend the money to rectify the dampness.  

But,  then I recalled that because of the dampness and the potential for flooding (my house is built over an underground stream)  there is a French Drain embedded downstairs. I surmised that I could tilt the dehumidifier a bit and place in on a downspout drain which is on a decline to drain water and that would solve the problem of having to empty the full container. It would do so automatically. It worked.  

I have learned a principle here that some problems don't have to be endured. They can be solved.  And often friends who are better at certain things can lend us their smarts. We are all good at different things and there is no shame in admitting a challenge and asking for advice. I have a high-tolerance for making due and this trait can have a positive side in that I don't invest a lot in what I perceive are losing situations.  I just cut things off or endure it if I cannot escape. It generally makes me a contented person.

But to refuse to correct a problem that could be addressed and fixed is a negative attribute and it has been maddening to others. Of that I am certain. There is a fundamental tenet in Stoicism to accept the things that we cannot change. What we fail to consider is that we may be able to change something for better when we first thought we could not.  So, these days when I encounter a problem in the physical realm I attempt to identify the crux of the dilemma and then consider steps towards a solution. 

Often,  just taking a minute to think about it makes all the difference.