Re-Framing

Re-framing as in the psychological tool that helps you see things differently. Instead of the glass being half empty, you re-frame it to see that you have a glass and it has stuff in it. Like that.

It's really great. I love re-framing. Handy especially since my problems tend to be problems of privilege. That is, I have a great life but some part of my fabulously great life isn't perfect. Then I get to remember that what I see as a terrible, awful, horrible problem...isn't.

Yesterday I felt a little freaky on account of the well. I thought the rain in June, which was nearly normal, hadn't been enough to keep us in water until the really dry season hits. The summer's visitors haven't begun to arrive yet. I foresaw only gloom and doom.

I switched mindset into "I'll take laundry into town" and "I'll investigate the shower at the gym" and "We'll use more town water." I couldn't re-frame it to make it a positive situation, although to my credit, I did think that we probably had more than a pail full of water available every day, not to mention an entire lake in front of us, which beats the situation for millions of people in Africa.

As it turned out, however, the problem wasn't with the water level. It was with the pump. We'd had a power surge late on Wednesday. It apparently fried the pump. A couple of phone calls and a trip to town (not by me), some muttering (I helped with that part), and hey presto! We have a working pump. The cistern has refilled. I'm washing sheets at home.

So I didn't have to re-frame. And now I get to switch my mindset back. But once again I am newly grateful for this life.