Waiting for the Washer to Change

For the past two months, our washing machine has been unpredictable during the spin cycle. Sometimes it spins out the water and then other times it just stops without any spinning at all. Now-a-days we slowly open the lid to see what mood it is in. If in a “no-spin” situation, we look to the gauges at the top of the machine and try a different combination. Maybe this time putting the settings on small load with the second rinse and cold/cold will do the trick. If a combination works, we announce proudly to all family members that “it is fixed” and then we hold our breath. We know that we need to get a new washing machine but we keep procrastinating because “it should not be broken after only 7 years!” We keep “jimmy-rigging” with the hope that it will magically heal itself.

What makes us keep “tinkering” with something in our lives when we know—deep in our hearts—that we need to make a radical change? Sometimes we need to stop the pattern of avoiding the inevitable and make the plunge in the direction of change and newness—even if it seems like the old way “should be working!”