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May
2004
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With
everyday problems,
take the Mister Fix-it approach |
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James
Pankratz
Special to Parenting |
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Who are your heroes?
One of mine hosts his own radio show on Saturday mornings.
Harried homeowners call in their questions, and “Mister
Fix-it” provides answers.
As a therapist, I also help people find solutions to
problems. However, in a one-hour session we strive to
make progress in one or two problems. In the same amount
of time, “Mister Fix-it” hands out dozens
of solutions to a whole range of problems including a
low-pressure hot water line, ice dams, a running toilet,
and sump pump breakdowns.
“
Mister Fix-it” says the three biggest problems
facing homeowners are: water, water, and water. This
is why I thought of my hero late one Friday afternoon.
While cleaning the bathroom, I noticed the tub was taking
forever to drain. After a few hearty heave-ho’s
with the plunger, I noticed an improvement. Emboldened
by my success, I tackled the bathroom sink. The sink
was draining, but not as quickly as I thought it should.
After several energetic plunges, I realized one thing:
I had a real mess on my hands. The sink was now totally
blocked. I looked with dismay at a liquid so foul it
cannot be described in a family newspaper.
“
Mister Fix-it” urged me on. I plunged and plunged.
The defiant scum bubbled and swirled, but not down the
drain.
Then I did what millions of husbands before me have done:
I called for help.
First, I looked up the number of our plumber, then hesitated
knowing it was the weekend and overtime rates would demand
we take out a second mortgage.
I knew someone else I could count on.
An hour of plunging later, my wife also gave up.
I could see no choice but to call our own personal “Mister
Fix-it,” who has repaired everything from the hole
in the garage roof to a storm door, torn from its hinges
by a gust of wind. Pete assured me he would come over
to unplug the sink tomorrow.
That night as I looked in the mirror brushing my teeth
in the cramped downstairs half-bath, I had to face facts:
I am not “Mister Fix-it.” I am more like
Tim the Toolman Taylor ... only without my own hit TV
show.
Getting ready for bed, I remembered a TV documentary
I had watched on the two Mars space rovers. You recall “Spirit” and “Opportunity” have
been roaming the Martian landscape conducting experiments
and sending back photos of the eerie copper terrain.
It’s an amazing feat of scientific engineering.
But it was never the sure thing that it looks like now.
During the years of preparation for the launch, there
was a big gap between what the scientists wanted to explore
and what the engineers thought was possible.
“
You want to land where?” the engineers asked. “Too
risky.” But they kept on trying to solve the problems.
Any probe hitting the Martian surface at hundreds of
miles an hour would be smashed to bits. The engineers
designed a cluster of air-bags to cushion the probe on
impact, but when they did a test drop in a huge vacuum
hanger, an air-bag bounced up to reveal a gaping hole.
Another team worked on the parachute that would slow
the descent. When they tested it in a high velocity wind
tunnel, the parachute shredded.
In those anxious weeks before launch, the successful
outcome we know today was never a sure thing. What the
scientists and I learned are three things:
1. Many problems are complex. They need many different
solutions.
2. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else.
3. Many problems cannot be solved alone. They need a
team to solve them.
Our team member arrived with his toolbox on Saturday
morning. Pete turned on the faucet to the bathroom sink,
and ... whoosh! He let the water run for a while, then
turned to us and said “I’m not going to take
this apart. It’s draining faster than my sink at
home!” The clog had broken apart during the night
and slipped down the stack pipe on its way to Lake Michigan.
I was “Mister Fix-it” after all. Well, let
me revise that ... we were “Mister and Ms. Fix-its” after
all. Teamwork.
Sometimes you make a larger contribution to the solution
of a problem than you know.
(Pankratz is a marriage and family therapist at Catholic
Charities Milwaukee regional office.) |
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