Monday, June 15, 2009

Don't cry over spilt...paint.

In a cupboard in our laundry I keep a bag of old clothes to use as rags. Today I needed one of those rags and as I grabbed hold of the bag's handles I came away with something I hadn't quite bargained for...a dull thump. And with the realisation of what the thump was caused by, a painful screech emanated from my throat. Looking down I saw an ever expanding, viscous puddle of paint. Yes, paint. In our laundry. MY laundry! The girth of this shiny, terracotta puddle was fingering its way to the nearby white fridge and had already seeped under the cupboard in which the bucket of paint had been stored.

I certainly was in no state of mind to take a photo of the disaster immediately, but this is how it looked after about 15 minutes of dabbing and wiping:



Initially I grabbed the closest thing next to me (no, not the bag of rags!), but a pair of my husband's navy trousers which had needed a zipper replaced. I also managed to get my hands on some paper towelettes, which proved quite handy. A sponge and a bucket of water came next. What I am amazed at (and rather bemused!) is that it did not even occur to me to use the bag of rags at any time during the clean-up!

Hubby's trousers:
Newly moist towelettes:

Watered down paint and sponge:

As I write this the paint continues to seep (as I almost weep!):

For about a month now I have been trying to think of something in me, in my reaction to an event, that would demonstrate an ability to stay calm. In my mind this would be a small (very small) indication that I may be suited to Clinical Psychology. This is a career path that has been weighing on my mind more and more lately. I was first introduced to psychology in my PhD studies when I analysed asthmatics' perception of their own asthma. But I really hadn't given it much thought until I started working from home, which has been very slow since November 2008 (thank you Global Credit Crisis). Thinking about how I can extend myself academically to increase my skills whilst still looking after my family, a change in career path came to mind.

With this mini disaster, in amongst all of the paint, ruined trousers and my terracotta-stained fingerprints all throughout the laundry, I was trying to think of some positives, even a single positive. I actually came up with four:

1) I hated those navy trousers anyway, especially because the zipper needed replacement.
2) The colour of the tiles and paint are almost identical.
3) I was calm enough (in the end anyway) to take some photos.
4) And most importantly, I did not go off at my husband for placing the paint tin there in the first place...at all. Disaster truly averted!

Do you think the ability to view this situation the way I did, in some way indicates that I am suited for a career in clinical psychology?

And yes, it did not escape me that a possible explanation for my being so calm (nothing to do with my career prospects of course!) was because I used hubby's trousers to clean up the huge mess. Oh, the psychology of marriage!

13 comments:

Natalie said...

Hee,hee. Yep. Isn't it called pasive aggression?xx♥

La Belette Rouge said...

I think your introspection, ability to assess, take detailed notes and turn to others for supervision and consult all bode well for your career in psychology.
And, your honesty and ability to admit your anathema towards the trousers are also good indicators of your success. But, what really is the pant hatred about?!!!;-) Well, sometimes a bad pant is a just a bad pant.

Kayleigh said...

Are you kidding me? With that level of self control I think you should skip being a shrink and go for sainthood ;) Although I hear the pay isn't so hot, lol.

Darla said...

ACK! Hopefully no damage was done to the house (or your marriage), just the pants.

I'm not sure I'd have had your composure.

Darla

lunarossa said...

I dont' think I'd react in the same way at all! Well done for keeping your calm and sorting out everything without causing a major drama! Ciao. A.

Jean said...

I admire your calmness, but I think the choice of the trousers was a subconscious one. Clean up the mess AND get rid of those horrible trousers that need a repair.

Well done!

septembermom said...

Great job at keeping calm. Hubby's trousers came in handy at just the right time :)

Casey Freeland said...

Kind of a complicated way to get rid of an old pair of trousers, but hey, that's the way you roll... apparently...

Cheers,

G.C.

Kim said...

I could totally see feeling some satisfaction in cleaning up the mess with the person who's ultimately responsible for it's pants.

♥ Braja said...

Honestly, La Belette said all I would want to say...seriously.

Mervat said...

Natalie: Passive aggression of the worst kind I'd say!

La Belette Rouge: Your words mean so much and really make me think I could do it. Thank you xo

Kayleigh: I don't know about sainthood...I need to be dead first?! ;)

Darla: Needless to say Hubby was very apologetic that night and didn't even bat an eyelid at the loss of his trousers. Just as well!

lunarossa: I didn't think I could exercise so much self-control. If you ask anyone in my family they will attest to my being well, a little over the top sometimes!

notSupermum: I admire my calmness too! I directly went for those (now long gone!) trousers without even thinking about it. You see the pants weren't so bad it was the fact that they needed to be repaired ;)

septembermom: Thank you! Perfect timing for those pants!

G. Coppard: Yep that is certainly the way I roll...the way I rolled up those pants and dumped them in that puddle of paint!

Kim: I felt great considering the circumstances!

♥ Braja: as I said to La Belette, your endorsement means so much, enough to get my butt into action to make enquiries and even sending off my CV. Thank you xxoo.

Warren Baldwin said...

What are your Ph.D. studies in? I am applying now to start a D.Min. program (Doctorate of Ministry) in January 2010 (barring any unforseen fallouts from the global economic crisis you refer to above). I'd rather have a Ph.D., but I'll turn 50 this summer and don't know if I want to put my family through the rigors of that. I'll need to study 3 more languages in depth just to qualify. I already meet the language requirements for the D.Min. Plus, I won't have to relocate.

Clinical psychology? Yes, I can see you doing that. I have a daughter that wants to be a psychologist.
wb

Unknown said...

Wow. You handled that perfectly! Incredible job! I would not have been nearly as calm! How funny that the paint and the tiles match. Wonderful coincident!

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