That Beeping Beep!

It started with Blue Guy.

When I get up in the morning and open my bedroom door, my roommate’s over-sized, over-energetic poodle, Bear, invariably has left me a gift.  

He leaves a toy right outside my bedroom door to greet me in the morning. Today was no different.

Some days it’s Mr. Lamb.  Sometimes the tug-o-war toy, sometimes the plush bone.  Today it was his favorite play toy: Blue Guy.  

But as small as Blue Guy is, this morning I tripped over him and crashed into the wall, leaving a good bruise.

That beeping beep!

Foggy-minded, I tried to think of the list of chores for today.  

First on the list was laundry, so I industrially put a load in.  

Then I hopped in the shower and knew I’d made a huge mistake.  

The greedy washing machine got more than half my hot shower water.  Had I used my brain, I'd have had plenty of hot water for my shower.  But I didn't.

That beeping beep!

Still half asleep, I headed to the kitchen for breakfast.  And that darn Bear did his usual annoying move.

He kept trying to run between my legs as I walked, tripping me up.  “Damn it!” I yelled at him grumpily “Knock it off!”

That beeping beep!

Later in the morning, I had to go for my first physical therapy appointment.  

I’d never been to this office, but it was not too far away, by the looks of it.  Somewhere on Brookhurst to the south of me.

So I jumped in the car a little early and headed out.  I got in the general area and looked again to check the exact address.  

Nothing.  I’d forgotten the directions at home!  Grrr…

That beeping beep!

Fortunately I’d left early, so I had time to run back home to pick up the paper and still make it to the appointment in time.  

Whew!

It all actually started before Blue Guy.  It started last night, really. 

That beeping beep! 

I stayed up late to do some writing.  Late in the evening is really the only time I am assured a stretch of quiet time without interruptions.  

No barking dogs to shush.  No incessant demands from my cat wanting to be pet.  No interruptions from my roommate.  No phone calls.  No chores to do.

So I usually do my best writing at night.  And that is the time I usually have to spend uninterrupted time to focus on editing photos.

Thus it was almost 1:00 am when I finally put my head on the pillow and drifted into well-deserved sleep.

But not a half hour later a funny noise kept creeping into my dreams.  

I couldn't quite identify it as it came and went too quickly. Sporadic, but persistent.

I finally came conscious enough to realize it wasn’t a dream.  It was a beep, and it was real.  

I woke enough to finally realize it was the smoke alarm in my bedroom.

And it was beeping at me every 30 seconds; a sign that the battery was running out.  I groaned and rolled over hoping it would stop.  But it didn’t.

Okay, it looked like I had to get up and change the battery.  

But it was only 1:30 in the morning and if I did a major out-of-bed task, would I be able to get back to sleep?

Then I realized changing the battery (provided I could even find a replacement battery!) was not possible.

The smoke detector is placed high on the vaulted ceiling – at least a good 11 feet off the ground.

There was no way I could reach that standing on a chair – or even on the desk.

That beeping beep!

I have and 8’ ladder, but it’s out in the shed, obstructed by other fix-it items and stored goods.  

And if I started rummaging about in there at that hour of the morning, there are no lights.  I’d make enough noise to wake the neighbors whose bedroom is right by the shed.

And provided I could get the ladder out, I would most likely wake the dogs trying to maneuver the ladder up the stairs and through the screen door and main door.

Going out into the living room to sleep wasn’t really a good option.   I would still be able to hear it - even with a pillow over my head.

The dogs would bark, and there is really no furniture there suitable for sleep. 

The recliner makes my back hurt.  

And my roommate replaced the comfortable couch with a something that would be bettered suited to a group of frat boys than a living room.

It is a love seat with a console in the middle that holds a small ice chest and two cup holders.

So I was pretty much screwed.  I had no option really, but to put up with it.  

I pulled the pillow over my head and moaned.  I could still hear the beep, but at least it was somewhat muffled.

And every time I moved or turned over, the pillow would shift and the sound of the beeping would magnify.  

And thus I tried to sleep, but woke every 30 seconds until the sun came up.

So I woke up grumpy and tired.  

I tripped over that doggone Blue Guy (who had been so lovingly placed at my door as a morning gift) and it made me mad.  

Normally it would make me smile.

That beeping beep!

I couldn’t think right or prioritize.  So I put the wash in first and ruined my hot shower – and got madder.

That beeping beep!

And I forgot to bring the directions with me when I was so good to head out early for my appointment!

That beeping beep!

If I’d just been able to get my butt out of bed, go get that 8’ ladder and fix what I needed to deal with, my life would have been so much smoother during the day.

And so it is in life.  So often we have issues that we avoid or ignore or pretend we don’t know about that affect everything in our lives.  


Because we don't want to work at fixing them.

Whether we realize it or not.

It might be anger or resentment we have from past snubs or injustices that we hold on to.
  
We know we need to let go of it.  And we’d be so much happier if we just did the job and let it go.  

But we don’t. 

Cuz we don’t want to go get the ladder and do the work.

Or it might be some sort of abuse from our childhood that we’ve never let go of.  We’ve let it stunt or hinder our healthy growth in life.  

And we know if we’d deal with it – either on our own or with help of someone else – we’d be so much happier, so much more whole. 

But we don’t because we are too lazy (or afraid) to go get that ladder and tackle the job.

Or it could be anything: issues in our personal or professional life, trouble with addiction, or even fear – of failure, of rejection, of inadequacy.

We need to just get out of bed and get that ladder and fix it.  


If we deal with what needs to be dealt with – whatever the problem is, our lives will be so much better.