My house and I seem to be in competition these days, vying for the title “Most in Need of Repair.” On good days, trying to solve a problem – like why the agitator on my washer isn’t agitating – can be a welcome distraction from the less tangible problems in my life. Other days I just want another adult around so I can tag out (or at least have someone who will hold my wine and listen to me bitch while I’m doing battle with the world’s rustiest bolt).

Last week I had my roof repaired. Tomorrow I have a plumber coming. And I need to get a second opinion on a project dealing with a bigger problem that I’ve known about for years, but was happy to ignore while my husband was here and ignoring it, too. (We ignored a lot, he and I.)

I’m happy to report, thanks to Google and YouTube (and something my boys saw on Mythbusters), my washing machine is agitating again. As soon as I had a load of laundry going, I scurried back to my comfort zone and spent my evening organizing all the tools and doo-dads I’d sorted through to find what I needed for the repairs.

This is my happy place, making order out of chaos. While I still haven’t figured out how to clean up the mess that is my life, at least I know where to find what I need when my house is having a bad day. Right now, that counts as a good day for me.