I have a very small kitchen, so I have to find creative ways to add storage and keep things accessible. (Maybe getting rid of stuff would help too, but I digress.) I have a couple of shelves in the kitchen that wobble a tiny bit as we walk by them. I mean it makes sense. When not on a concrete slab, things in houses wobble a bit. Something was SQUEAKING every time I walked around my kitchen. It wasn’t a mouse. I KNEW it wasn’t a mouse. It sounded like a mouse. It wasn’t a mouse. I have no evidence of mice. (I have two dogs who ought to be able to at least tell me there is a mouse, even if they fall asleep on the sofa while a mouse runs between furniture in the living room, but I digress.) So? I know it isn’t a mouse. I know something on that shelf is squeaking, but I kept not dealing with it. The squeak is there, it’s annoying, but I know it isn’t a mouse.
Today, I fixed the squeak.
I stopped what I was in the middle of doing, stood next to the shelf, and then stomped a bit and tried to wiggle-wobble the shelf. And I found the squeak. A plastic tub was rubbing against a metal fixture on the wall, and that was causing the squeak. Shift the tub, and oh, joy, no more squeak! In addition, now I both know the cause and have the solution, so if that plastic tub gets bumped out of position, I know it will squeak and it’s easy to fix.
What’s squeaking in your life? What’s that little, (or big) niggling thing that’s squeaking at you and you know if you just stop for a moment, clear your mind, and pay attention, you’ll find the squeak? Maybe it won’t be as easy as shifting a plastic tub. It’s easier to shift a plastic tub than it is to shift a mindset, or a behavior, or any of the other things in our lives that may be squeaking.
Something wants your attention. Something wants you to stop, pay attention, figure it out, and fix the squeak. Sometimes, you can do that on your own. Sometimes, you need a little help. Maybe it’s a plastic tub bumping up against a metal fixture. Maybe it’s the feeling of knowing that you need to do…something…
Stop what you’re doing, and listen to what’s going on around you. Ask for help if you need it (or even if you don’t know that you need it).
Fix the squeak.
Cheers! Here’s to your health!