The Faucet Was Dripping

 

The kitchen faucet was dripping.  I heard it while I was reading a book on the couch.  Drip. Drip. Drip.  It would not stop dripping.  Was there something wrong?  Is there a leak?  Do we need a plumber?  As all these thoughts ran through my head, I finally stopped and thought to myself, "Welp, you could sit here and contemplate all day what is wrong, or you could go evaluate the situation".  I got up, went over to the faucet and simply pushed the handle closed.  The last person who used it did not fully turn it off.  

I do this all the time.  I make up a story in my head.  It is usually a narrative with little value-add other than to provide anxiety and stress.  I sit there and worry about all the different "what-if" scenarios and then I process them and re-process them until I am mentally exhausted.  

Yet, I will tell you that I am also a problem-solver type of person.  I see an issue, come up with a solution, and proceed to act on it in order to rectify the situation.  I like to analyze circumstances that need attention and determine a way to fix them.  

The other day my mom called me and her cell phone was breaking up.  I could only hear every other word she said.  Until finally I hollered at the phone, "MOM!  Turn off and restart your phone then call me back!"  Click.  She hung up the phone.  About 5 minutes later, she called me back and the phone call went through without any issues.  Did she need a new phone?  No, she just needed to restart the one she had.  

It is really easy to jump to conclusions without enough data to support my concern.  It is very helpful to step back, evaluate what is happening and offer a way to make it better or fix it.  Is the faucet dripping because it was not turned off correctly?  Or do we need a plumber for a leak?  Can we restart my moms cell phone to reboot the system or do we need to buy her a new cell phone?  

Sometimes, the latter is true.  There are times when a simple battery cannot fix a broken toy.  When changing the spool cannot fix a broken sewing machine.  And restarting a computer cannot fix its broken hard drive.  And these situations can be very unnerving to determine the real issue and sometimes even very costly to get it fixed.  

However, the next time a problem occurs I will urge myself to stop thinking through all the different scenarios before fully evaluating the situation first.  I will offer problem-solving solutions before jumping to conclusions.  And I will put on my fancy shoes and waltz around the house knowing full well that this time, it was only a simple push to close the faucet in order to stop the dripping.  

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.