Day 22 of the blogging challenge is a day late, however, we finally were able to get the whole kitchen done. Thank goodness for some great friends and a hard-working husband. It took 3 days to get it completely done, cut fingers, old nails, and no sleep; but man was it worth it. So, I wanted to take a quick moment to write a small post on being grateful in the moment, even when things do not go as planned.
Our original plan was to pull up the flooring, lay down the new flooring, put the linoleum down and be done with it. We did not anticipate having to rip up the whole floor, take out the cabinets, level the floor from where water damage got to the original foundation, and make new baseboards.
Side story of why we needed to replace the flooring* One of our pups decided to eat the flooring that was originally in the kitchen when me moved in last year. While moving in, the refrigerator got snagged on the dip in the floor causing a small rip. Our pup decided he was going to finish the job.
We tore up that flooring and put down stick on tile and he managed to pull that up too. We then NAILED down the stick-on tile and our pup managed to eat that too, even in a training muzzle.
Back to the original story* The previous contractor decided to ignore the water damage and place flooring on top of the original. However, that flooring was also damaged in the long run, causing the floor to sink. Well, instead of pulling it up and fixing it properly like it should have been done the first time, they just put another layer of flooring on top of the damaged floor with small pieces of wood to “balance” where the floor was sinking.
So here we are 3 inches of damaged flooring and realizing everything from the floor to the counter tops had to be removed. It was hectic for a little while.
I was anxious, frustrated, and so upset… at first. I took a moment to calm my frustrations and realized I was able to have the opportunity to see the original structure of our home we plan to buy and build on to. Our home was built in 1860, which is exciting for me as I love history.
I began to think about the positives that came along with the complete destruction of our kitchen. Here are some of the things I was able to realize:
- I was able to witness the original flooring, and get a small piece to wood carve the year into as a small reminder of our first major home project
- The floor was being done right
- We were finally able to hook up our fridge to the sink for water and ice
- The realization that we have really good friends who came together and helped us get the floor done in 3 days. Without them it would have been a much longer process.
- If our pup did not tear up the flooring, we would have never known and could have had something major happening due to the state of the floor. Honestly, it could have fallen in.
It just goes to show how switching the mindset can bring you to a calmer state. Even when things do not go as planned, there will always be something you can learn from or find good in. Life happens, we cannot control everything, however we can control how we react to the emotions these life events bring.
Life is hard, don’t make it harder by dwelling on things beyond our control. It just causes mental turmoil in the end.
Motivational Coping & Healing 