2020 is almost over. 

I’ve been very vocal about this being a great year for me, despite it being a dumpster fire on a warpath through our world.

I’ve made some great strides in my business, bought a new vehicle and moved into a new house, my family is happy and healthy, and I’ve saved more money than ever before.

I even posted on Facebook just the other day that “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and a lot of that is due to the support I receive.”

It’s true.

But this year just couldn’t quite let me get out unscathed.

This morning, I’ve been on the phone with several plumbing and septic service companies trying to figure out who is available to come check out what I hope is not a major plumbing issue at my rental property, but all signs point to it being so. 

I’ve already got a video camera inspection scheduled for tomorrow. 

This weekend, my short-term tenants texted me about slow drainage and water leaking out the base of the toilet. They had to leave after four hours of me trying to unclog the sewer line and moved in with some friends. 

The next day, a plumber couldn’t get past something hard blocking the sewer line, so next we are going in with a camera to try and diagnose the problem. It’s an old house so it could be a broken pipe or roots growing into the plumbing system.

Either way, it looks like it’s going to cost me — a lot.

Even as I type that, I think about how if this had happened at another time in my life, it would have sent me into an anxiety-ridden stress storm that would have ruined my holiday and probably my whole year. 

There was a time, not so long ago, that something like this would have crippled me, both financially and emotionally.

But I’m not in that space right now.

The house has been the most profitable it’s ever been for me this year, mostly due to the consistent housing of travel nurses working at UNC and Duke. So while I don’t want to lose all that profit, or the income from the tenants, I have the money to cover it (at least I hope).

So instead of freaking myself out, I’m actually sitting here calmly waiting on the results that will inform my next decision and actions.

And while my financial situation has gotten better and makes it easier to take this blow, I’m prouder of my emotional ability to withstand the potential tailspin.

That is something that I’ve only learned recently.

What helps me is realizing three things:

  1. I’m not so naive to think that people aren’t in situations where this would cripple them financially and/or emotionally. Especially this year. The fact that I am just losing some money, but not my health, not my family, and not my mental stability, makes me grateful. And coming from a place of gratitude settles my mind.
  2. I’ve become more deliberate in my actions instead of just reacting irrationally. I step back and look at things from the macro-perspective and try to see any angles of how I could use a situation to my benefit. For instance, if I have to tear up my sewer line under my bathroom, then I’ll lean into and use this as an opportunity to finally remodel the whole bathroom. When I used to be so consumed by my anxiety, I could never see that larger point-of-view — only what was right in front of me.
  3. As someone whose self worth is measured in productivity and achievement, the flip side of that coin means that my self shame stems from failure, negligence, or nonfulfillment. To put it simply, I’m a blamer. And I usually blame myself. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve accepted that shit happens sometimes (quite literally, in this case) and it’s no one’s fault. We just have to do what we have to do to deal with it.

Life is a roller coaster and we have to accept the ups and downs and the wins and losses as we go along this journey. 

But as long as we make conscious decisions and take strategic actions to help us grow and progress forward, getting better and doing better over the long term, then that’s what counts.

This past week has been one of the down moments for me. But in a year full of growth, alignment, and happiness, I know I can take this “L” and keep moving forward.

And this year has been challenging to all of us in different capacities. 

But hopefully it’s just a down year of a lovely lifetime.

 


Rain Bennett is a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, and competitive storyteller with over a decade of experience producing documentary films that focus on health and wellness. His mission is simple: to make the world happier and healthier by sharing stories of change.

You can read the rest of “Right as Rain” here, and check back every Wednesday on Chapelboro for a new column! 


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.