The Weaker Sex

This week I decided that a six year hiatus on deck maintenance was at an end. The pollen finally quit, the sun was out and I had a lot of free time on my hands, so instead of waiting for the weekend, I went out and rented a power washer. Ben wanted me to wait until the weekend so he could help, but I insisted that I could handle it. I may be small and shy, but I'm not helpless. The rent-all place was pretty cool, they showed me how to operate it and loaded it up in the trunk. The guy who put it my car said it was heavy, but he picked it up without so much as a grunt and I figured if it didn't weigh more than fifty or sixty pounds I'd be okay getting it out. Ah, such is foolish optimism. Or ignorance, because as I found out when I got home, that thing was a bit more than fifty or sixty pounds.

Being short has its disadvantages, I'll be the first to admit it. Trying to heave a very heavy object out of the back of my trunk really illustrates the point, when trying to get better leverage I had to stand on the bumper. I got it partially onto the lip of the trunk and realized that continuing with my fruitless endeavor would inevitably result in one of the following scenarios: I'd seriously damage the car, the power washer, or the driveway, or all three plus my back and maybe even an appendage or two.

Now that I realized I was an idiot and should have waited until the weekend like Ben said, my stubborn resolve drove me to call a friend and see if her husband was available. He wasn't. As we were mulling over some possible solutions, inspiration hit.

"The missionaries!" I cried.

And it was divine intervention, too, because they were home and had a car and were over in a few minutes. One of them picked up the power washer and plopped it on the driveway. Easy as pie. It took him two seconds.

Yes, I am a woman, a small one, with skinny, weak arms, just strong enough to piggy-back my six year old son downstairs every morning. It's annoying when I have to be reminded of my limitations, but I'm pretty blessed having access to bigger stronger people, especially being married to Ben, who's more than capable of loading a power washer in the trunk. And while I may be dinky, I managed to get Henry ready for school this morning, squeeze in our scripture study, see him off at the bus stop, return the power washer, volunteer in Henry's classroom, visit the dentist, the library, and the grocery store, be home for Henry when he got off the bus, and collect sleeping bags, pillows and snacks for Ben and Henry's camp out.

And the deck is ready to be water sealed, which I'll get to as soon as the next sunny day next week. When I'm done reading, or when I feel like it.