#450 Fix You

I like to fix things.  Well, I like to think I can fix things.  Or at least I will try to fix things. 

We have turned into a disposable society.  Something breaks, we throw it away and buy another one.  Have a hole in your sock?  Most people let the hole get bigger and bigger, until the hole is so big they can’t mend it.  Unfortunately, when appliances break nowadays, it’s cheaper to buy a new one than to fix it.  Things aren’t made like they used to be.  They’re not made to last.

Today at work someone broke a single hole punch.  They brought the pieces over to me (I am the work room lady).  Now my goal is to fix it.  I think I can, but need to take it home to use some pliers on it. 

A few weeks ago I spent about 10 minutes in our workroom fixing a three-hole punch.  A tiny bolt-like piece had come off that held it together at one end.  I worked and worked, and even chipped a nail.  Finally, success!  I felt like MacGyver! 

And while we’re on the topic of mending, I must mention my grandmother, Emma Riedweg.  She was the queen of mending.  She in turn taught my mother, the princess of mending.  (I guess I am the duchess of mending?)  I once spent almost the entire final episode of The Bachelor mending random clothing items.  If I’m wasting my time watching a crazy show, I might as well do something constructive. 

I am still amazed that when the topic of mending/sewing comes up, most people say they can’t sew on a button or hem pants.  How does that happen?  Did home economics disappear from the classroom?  I see people all the time walking around with too-long pants, and the back hem is shredded from them walking on the material.  You are ruining your pants!  And it looks sloppy. 

I recently received a wood sewing cabinet that was my grandmothers.  It’s way cool and my brother Paul helped fix some of its broken pieces.  He’s a great fixer too!  I now have a great stash of thread, ready to mend anything (in most any color) that comes my way. 

If you see that small hole in your sock, fix it right away instead of buying new socks.  If something breaks, consider fixing it if it’s worth it.  Or maybe it can have another use.  These days I stop and look at something I’m about to get rid of and ask myself, “What can I do with this?”  So far, I have repurposed egg cartons to organize jewelry and have used lots of shoe boxes to better organize my dresser drawers (no need for The Container Store).  Use your imagination!