~*~
Winter has almost passed with weather mostly balmy and luminous. I'm amazed at how alive I feel and how far I've come in physical energy. When we entered the Bub in late May of 2013, a good day involved simply getting out my pajamas. Now a good day is traveling three or four hours to a new campground and still having the energy to write.
Writing is interrupted, however, when water seeps from its designated pathways. Or, in the case of the fourth water leak, floods.
The black water (the stinky tank) was full on a chilly February night, and Mom nor I realized it. We also didn't realize that, unlike all the other faucets which drain into the grey water, the bathroom sink drains into the black tank.
The bathroom faucet was left dripping.
The drainage pipe and sink filled.
The sink overflowed.
Water covered the counter and poured down the Bub's inside wall.
Mom found the flood around 4:30 am and spent her dawn hours wiping up all the water she could.
I slept blissfully unawares, only feet from the mess. When I did awake, my innermost being knew something was wrong.
The lights were on. Mom moved about freely, her usual cautious movements intended not to wake me absent.
I bolted out of bed, anxious to help fix whatever was wrong. The familiar urge to fret and stress returned to me, and rationale did nothing to stop me from thinking panic was perfectly okay.
Thankfully several hours wakefulness clarified Mom's thoughts, and she wouldn't tell me the problem until I had read my Bible for the morning.
I was close to insisting she tell me anyway, but I knew I couldn't approach the edge of a breakdown so closely again. So I read, I found peace, and I got up with the decision not to panic, no matter what.
Instead of hyperventilating as Mom broke the situation to me, I got down on the floor and helped wipe up the last of the water that she couldn't reach beneath the counter.
We pushed our dehumidifier into the bathroom, but even after days of running it continuously, the wall insulation was still soaked.
The first appointment opening at the nearest Airstream shop was February 27th, a nearly month away. In those three weeks, I again ignored the wet insulation so I wouldn't shut down from overload. But panic crept near again two days before the repairs were scheduled.
What if the technicians were contaminated? What if they couldn't fix the Bub in one day, and so Mom and I would have to sleep in the car? What if the wood of the entire floor was wet or mold was growing and when things were torn up mold spores and toxins were released into the Bub?
My choices felt limited: either panic and descend into shock or ignore life.
But God gave me a third option: focus on something else, in my case, writing.
The day before our appointment, I finished a chapter that had troubled me for the past week. The accomplishment was euphoric and lifted my entire spirit.
Finally able to see my life does not indeed end when the Bub is water damaged, I realized something.
Water damage does not warrant a mental breakdown. The Bub is not utterly destroyed when a leak occurs. But that doesn't mean I should ignore it either. When the importance of a water issue is brushed aside, then the real problem begins. The mold grows; the mycotoxins are produced.
When we spot pooling water, we mop it up. When we hear a leak, we get it fixed. Then we immediately cut out and replace any wet materials. Panic won't fix the water damage; a clear mind and busy hands will.
The Bub fairs well. I'm so thankful the technicians were able to repair him through the wheel well from the outside. He didn't have to be gutted again! Amazingly, no wood was wet; the insulation had soaked up the water, and boy was it soaked.
I used to be leery of the Bub's pink fiberglass insulation, but I've taken a liking to it. It absorbs water better than any towel and is easily replaced. It's protected the wood under our laminate floor twice now, which be an absolute mess to repair.
Though I pray we face no more water issues, the next time we do, I hope my first thought is "Let's get down to business," and no longer "Freak out!"
You're my hero!!!
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