Improper Handling

15 plus years ago I purchased a washer and dryer set from Sears at an end of year, closeout price. I had previously only had old, used ones so I was pumped! I bet I washed 10 loads of laundry in the first few days just because the new set could handle it.

Earlier this morning, my adorably impatient husband decided that my old dryer could handle an overly heavy, double load of laundry. Not 10 minutes later, Boom! That faithful drum could take it no more…

I had told him before to handle that old girl gently. But just like we all do, he overlooked the warning that improperly handling it would cause it to cease working at all. (And yes, I did say I told you so!)

We do that in life, especially in regards to relationships. We ignore the signs that something is weak and potentially failing and ride it hard anyway. Knowing this, we throw too much in, or rather on, someone expecting the weight to be handled. We expect it to be okay. And yet, so often, the wear and tear is no longer sustainable. And boom! Something irreparable breaks.

Maybe we should listen more when another says it is too much. Maybe we should pay better attention when the squeaks get louder and the heat is no longer hot. Maybe we should spend the time to properly maintain it with much needed and often requested TLC.

Maybe, just maybe, we should slow down and make the load less, so as not to improperly handle and break the thing we rely so heavily upon. Maybe…

As I write this, my husband is setting up our new dryer that we just had to unexpectedly, yet promptly purchase. Not the thing he wanted to do on our day off.

Lesson learned.