The Perils of Homeownership and Similar Occurrences

Let it be said, first of all, that I absolutely love and adore my house and my property.  I could not be happier here - I'm perfectly situated for the best view in the world (in my opinion, at least), I have good, supportive neighbors, I have nature surrounding me in all her glory, and I have room to breath fresh air and to run without impedance.  That being said, country home ownership is much more difficult than city ownership, as I have had to learn the hard way.

I have never been on a septic system personally.  When I was a senior in high school, my family moved to a house on the local lake that was on a septic, but I really only lived there for a few months before I left for a job in Mississippi and then for college.  I remember hearing a story from my father about the time a 'dozer  backed over his septic line and caused a problem, but I didn't realize how bad it could potentially get.

A few nights ago, when nothing out of the ordinary was happening (be warned:  this is PRECISELY when you should be scared to death, horror movie connoisseurs; not when the virgin goes alone into the woods), I had a minor septic backup.  I say 'minor' because it could have been a heck of a lot worse - I had backup in places it could be relatively easily cleaned - tubs, showers, and the like.  Nothing got into my carpet, so all things considered, I (naively) thought, things could be a lot worse.

Like any good homeowner, I called the local plumbing service I trust to give me an estimate.  They came out, on Sunday, on one of our worst winter days of the year (30s, rainy, windy, just generally brutal).  They couldn't finish their work with the equipment they had, so they returned today (naturally, as I would have, when it was nice and sunny and in the 50s).  They got a mini-dozer on my very hilly yard, with about 10 inches to spare.  I was scared to death the entire time they dug - I had visions of the 'dozer operator sliding off the berm, then off the next two berms, and then finally onto my asphalt driveway.  Anyway, they found that my septic system had the worst root infestation they had ever seen.  One of the workers could almost stand on the roots infiltrating the roof of my septic system - it was that bad.  So, after some more digging and some more conversation, I learned that remedying this problem is going to cost somewhere in the general proximity of several vintage motorcycles, a mysteriously procured human organ in some particular localities, and probably an average Tuesday afternoon for Lindsey Lohan.  It's not looking good.

This seems bad, but I keep reminding myself to take this all in stride.  Things could be a lot worse - I could be like the majority of the world and not have a way to fix this; it could have flooded my entire main floor; my dogs could have drank from the septic system and gotten horribly sick; it goes on and on.  In the past few years, I've really begun to realize how much I have to be thankful for.  Maybe it's age, maybe it's finally slowing down, maybe it's finally starting to be an adult, rather than the perpetual childhood that accompanies graduate studies.  Maybe it's finally getting tired of feeling sick and sad at times, and realizing that positive thinking and keeping a positive attitude is such an important component of 'happiness' in and of itself.  I've witnessed over the past few days precisely the kind of havoc unhappiness can wreak upon a family, upon an individual, and upon a community.  A significant part of depression is finding little slivers of happiness or enjoyment and finding ways to hang on to them with all you've got.  Once you turn the corner to resentment and anger, it's hard to remedy the destruction that that thought process engenders.  The victim mentality sets in, and all of the sudden it seems like the entire world is against you - rather than relying on what you do have, you focus on the negative aspects and suddenly the world is a much darker and more dangerous place.  Alienation instead of support; exile instead of community.  Which, to my thinking, is really the coward's way out.  It's very easy to quit once difficulty arises - that's as apparent in sports, relationships, and work as it is in life.  But in my mind and in my experience, finding ways to stay positive in the face of adversity is part of what defines us as a person.  One can decide the world is against you, and quit - quit trying to better yourself, your community, and those around you.  Or you can redirect that energy into the positive - if you feel something is wrong, work to remedy it any way you can - through volunteerism, through music, through trying something new and untested instead of the misdirected anger and resentment that has untracked you in the first place.  It just takes so much energy to remain angry and resentful - it brings everyone around you down and more importantly, it brings you down yourself.  There's enough hate and incompassion in the world - why contribute your own considerable energies and talents to it?  Why not try to be happy in the face of adversity, despite the very presence of said adversity?  Resentment and unhappiness, in my personal experience, begin within - and spitting forth venom serves to weaken not only those around you, but most importantly, you.

That's enough proselytizing from me for the night.  Just know that no matter how poorly things seem now - and how bad this cliche is - things are brighter in the future, once you dedicate your energy to your capacity to develop and to change.  Negativity breeds negativity, and positivity breeds good things in yourself and in those around you.