Home Improvements

At long last, our kitchen ceiling is being repainted. This after, at long last, having the recesses of our two kitchen skylights repaired, a few years after the skylights and kitchen roof were replaced, after years of dealing with leaky skylights.

As you may correctly surmise, neither Al nor I are pros at home improvements. Al, by his own admission, is not Mr. Fix-It. I can see what needs to be done and how to do it, having learned from years of watching my dad fix just about anything. But I can’t physically do what needs to be done, because of my hands.

This is a source of endless frustration.

Years ago, when Al and I married and bought our first home, we worked side-by-side painting ceilings and window trim. Despite a few paint sprinkles on my glasses, I was able to adeptly use both roller and brush. Al did a great job wallpapering every room. I sewed drapes. This was before my scleroderma advanced to the point of really damaging my fingers.

Today, the idea of picking up a paintbrush or roller is a non-starter. I wish I could build things like my dad did, but wielding a hammer, even just to nail a picture hook, is a real challenge. I can still make things that are small or soft—sewing remains a favorite hobby, as long as I pace myself over weeks and even months. But no projects that are heavy, sharp or cumbersome.

So, instead, I have become adept at screening painters, carpenters, roofers, and other home improvement experts, to find the best work for the best price. If you can’t do, delegate. That’s the second rule of management.

The first one: know what you can’t do, and get over yourself. Easier said than done.

Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.