Meandering Thoughts (#23)

I explain this image towards the end of this post.

“Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”

― Jake the Dog, Adventure Time

Every two weeks? Is that my new pattern? In the beginning--over four years ago--it was twice a week, with a third one added when I decided to share my gardening experiences. Somehow, I kept up. Nowadays? My energy and will have dried up. This has become a slog, not a journey.

Yet... it is around eight-thirty on a Sunday morning. For the past two hours, I have been doing chores. Now that the laundry is going (I was too busy to do it Saturday, my usual routine, because I volunteered for a school event), what I want to do is take a break. Instead, I am sitting in my basement at a plastic folding table in a worn out computer chair, typing away as the hum of another load of clothes thumps away in the neighboring room.

I have not given up. It is better to slip than slide. Every two weeks is better than the multi-month sabbatical I took last spring. Well, "sabbatical" makes it sound like I had planned it, and I was doing something constructive with my life. Instead, I was struggling with a loss, and avoiding this weekly task. Why? That is a discussion for another time.

Meanwhile, today is the last Sunday of September. Also, in two days, a new month begins, along with the final quarter of this year. That is how I manage my daily journaling: each file contains three months worth of entries. So, on Tuesday, a file named "Journal Entries 2024_04 Quarter" will appear.

My journaling has suffered, too. I believe the month of September contains fifteen prompts. At one time, I skipped six straight days. Heck, even yesterday's is missing. I have made a habit out of being inconsistent.

In the end, I still come back. So, maybe I am persistent, too? Does that make me walking, talking contradiction? Or, just another middle-aged man trying to figure things out? Sigh.

Anyway, here is the explanation to the photo in the top of this post. That is the current state of the unfinished part of my basement. It looked far worst (yeah, I am not done, yet).  Those metal shelves to the right sit on wheels (a requirement that I had for my storage needs). My original plan was to build mobile wooden ones. First, none of my local stores, nor amazon, had what I needed. Second, I want to get back to building stuff. Well, I could not settle on a design that pleased me, and I my woodworking skills were not up to the challenge. So, I kept putting it off. Meanwhile, the state of that space weighed heavily on my mind, constantly distracting me. 

Until now.

Two weeks ago, I forced myself to find a store-made shelving unit. Worst case, I would build a simple platform with wheels to make it mobile. As I entered Lowe's, my mind was set on a particular brand and model. Well, while searching for it, I find something better. It was a Craftsman metal unit. Just the right height for my basement, and the exact depth to accommodate my particular storage containers. Yes, I had selected a particular series of plastic bins (Lowe's own brand). In fact, when assembled a certain way, the shelves offer a spacing pattern that is near perfect for these boxes, allowing for maximum stacking. 

Just two problems. First, there was only one unit left, and this particular store had no plans on restocking any time soon. Also, the delivery fee was $79! An internet search revealed only two other sites that sold the product, and they seemed shady to me. Well, after further effort, I find another Lowe's store had two in stock. It was a bit of a drive to a round down strip mall. It ended up being an adventure. In the end, I managed to acquire two more. 

Second, the units lacked wheels. Being able to move these units around the basement was imperative. I had other plans for the space. Flexibility was key. Well, since the vertical supports for the shelves were a hollow metal tube, surely I could shove some sort of caster inside it. It may require some grinding, screwing, or adhesive, but I would get what I want. 

When I arrived home, and began setting up the shelves, I discovered a pleasant surprise. The metal tubes had threaded ends, to accept self-leveling feet. Now, I did not get too excited. These threads could have been of non-standard size, allowing only the pieces that came with the box. After some measuring with a special tool (basically a plastic sheet with various sized holes that fit standard sized bolts) I discovered that the shelves would accept 3/8 inch stem casters, and they were available on Amazon! I could assemble the shelves that day, and install the wheels the next evening.

Now I have three mobile metal shelves filled neatly with my favorite plastic storage bins. Even better, I have more space in the basement that will fit my future plans. Best of all? My head has been cleared of another distraction. 

Perhaps that is why I sat down first thing this morning, and started blogging? Now, if you will excuse me, I have another load of laundry to do.