Used to think I had to handle the house alone after my ex left

Back in 2018 when my divorce went through in Detroit, I tried painting every room myself along with fixing the sink and mowing the lawn because I felt like I had to prove something. After three months of burning out and crying over a leaky pipe, I realized it was okay to call a handyman for the big stuff. Now I wonder how many others tried to be superhuman right after their split and how did you finally ask for help?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.robert2d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah but @beth_park the thing is once you cross those wires wrong and flood the place, you kinda realize the YouTube tutorial skipped a step somewhere. How long after your split was it before you started trusting the neighbor guy instead of just watching more videos?

beth_park3d ago

I spent a whole weekend trying to fix a garbage disposal because I watched like three YouTube videos and thought I was a plumber. Ended up with water all over the kitchen floor and a dead disposal that just hummed at me. My neighbor finally came over and pointed out I'd crossed some wires wrong, but I was too proud to even ask him for help until I was literally standing in a puddle. It took me six months after my split to realize that calling someone wasn't the same as failing, it was just being smart about my time.

pat_murray532d ago

My dad had a similar moment with a lawnmower back in '87. Watched a guy on TV fix one with a paperclip and a shoelace, so I figured I'd try tuning ours up. Ended up taking the carburetor apart and had parts left over that looked important, so I just put them in a coffee can and shoved it in the garage. That mower sat there for three years before he bought a new one and finally told me he'd never been mad, just wished I'd asked him to help hold the flashlight.