Zen and the Art of DIY

Ben Franklin famously stated that the two certainties in life are Death and Taxes.  He forgot one:  If you're a homeowner, you're going to get hit with unexpected home maintenance -- and costs.

Since we’ve become a society of outsourcers, most of us don’t know the first thing about fixing our stuff.  Having said that, I often stubbornly refuse to admit defeat and call a stranger for help -- even if it is the path of least resistance.

Yesterday was such a day.  

Project One: Garbage disposal leaking.
Location:  Our home.
Assessment:  It's leaking (What, too obvious?). 
Diagnosis:  Upon further assessment, it was determined to have a small hole in the side.
Plan:  Purchase a new one and install by myself.

Project Two:  Garage Door.
Location:  Younger daughter's house.
Assessment:  Due to an accident, it had been totally discombobulated (that was my technical assessment). 
Diagnosis:  Scratch my head.
Plan:  Scratch my head and then start taking things apart, bang on a few things with a big hammer,  and hopefully put it all back together in some sort of working order.

Let's go back a few years (decades).  I'm in high school and my older brother was into motorcycles.  A book I discovered in his "library" was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig.

It is a work of fictionalized autobiography and explores his Metaphysics of Quality.  The title is an apparent play on the title of the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."

At one point, Pirsig writes about facing problems:

"Is it hard?"  Not if you have the right attitude.  It's having the right attitude that's hard.

And

The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called you.

Maybe he's right.  So, to paraphrase Pirsig, the real garbage disposal I was working on was me.  Wait. That doesn't have the same ring to it.  Or does it?

Perhaps the real "cycle" I was working on was disposing of the garbage thinking of doubt and opening the door to believing that, with persistence, I could solve the problem.

I formulated my PLANS.  IMPLEMENTED them.  And the EVALUATION?
New garbage disposal installed and no leaks (yet) and the garage door, though not perfect, is functional enough for my daughter to use it.

I may not know the answer, but I believe in my ability to solve the problem.  Oh, and one more thing.  I do have the plumber and Evansville Garage Company on speed-dial just in case.   The garbage of doubt is a tough bone to grind up -- even with a new 3/4 HP Super-Duper Power-Max InSinkErator!

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn