He tells me he will price the vanity with a marble top. The sink is no big deal to fix. To replace the bathtub means we will have to replace the floor too. He will price it a few ways (without a new vanity, without a new bathtub etc). "How long will the job take?" I ask. 3-4 weeks, and I start calculating the labor cost on a bathroom that takes 3-4 weeks. A big number pops into my head. Yikes!
Five years ago we bought this house and discovered that our inspection was less than excellent. We discovered all kinds of hidden problems...outlets and vents without covers in every room, mildew sealed under clear caulk in the kids' bathroom, electrical problems, a leaky basement, and the one that is getting to me the most....the shower that is so difficult to operate that my nine-year-old son cannot start his own shower. We are finally getting estimates on repairing the bathroom, and the usual conflicts start churning in my mind.
Is this really necessary? I mean I have seen the bathroom in the small apartment in China where Wyatt lived. The shower head hanging from the wall with the drain simply a hole in the floor; no bathtub, no shower curtain - and this shared by 5-7 people. Should I really concern myself with fixing a functional bathroom? Should we really "protect our investment" or "increase the resale value" or just have something that works better?
I have seen the laundry hanging outside windows in the tiny, broken down, homes of China and yet when my 17 year old dryer finally breathes its last, I am sure I will be on the hunt for a new one even if I have to finance it.
I have seen the tiny "showcase" home in the Hutong village.
Do I really deserve to live in this comfort?
A casual conversation at work leads me to start dreaming a bit. A young couple plans to take a train vacation for their 10th anniversary to Chicago or New York, and the price is reasonable. Andy and I will celebrate 20 years next summer. We have never gone away, even for a night, for our anniversary, and I have never been to Chicago or New York. Our Hawaii dream for this anniversary died long ago along with my plan to take each of the kids away individually for the weekend to celebrate their 13th birthdays. Dare I dream? Then I think about how many people worldwide live in total joy and never leave their homes. Historically, people worked their land and fed themselves and their children. They did not take an annual trip to the beach and get in a weekend getaway every 10 years or so. Why should I pursue such a thing? How many times have we been encouraged at our home church to have a regular date night? It is so important we have been told, yet we are very happy in our marriage, and date nights do not even happen once a month. How can this be so important when people work long hours and come home exhausted just to pay to educate their children?
How much could the money spent on a trip to New York for two people help people in my own community eat? How much could it help people in a third world country get access to clean drinking water?
Then there are the clothes. I return to school in the fall only to discover (gasp!) that I cannot make it through a five day workweek without repeating my wardrobe. Because my culture says I must have on something different every day despite the fact the my work clothes do not even come home dirty most days, I shop. Yet, I spent days with a guide in China who wore the same jumper daily changing the shirt underneath occasionally.
These things bounce around in my simple little mind. Is anyone in America truly radical? How many "minimalists" are truly minimalists? We, in this household, are so far from it. I know that we will likely renovate the bathroom and even hope for money left-over to do some work in the living room. We will continue to let our children pursue their sports interests despite the expense and time. Maybe we will be more intentional and get our acts together, and I will probably second guess every decision we make. Sigh.
