Septic Tank Reminders

A person can never tell where blessings will come from.  Just when I feel like things are going smoothly, I hit a bump that reminds me to be thankful for what I have and to be willing to let things go.

Making a very long story short, the puddle in the yard discovered by my frolicking 3-year-old ended up being a backed-up septic tank with a dead pump.  It was gross and expensive, but there were so many beautiful elements where we learned important information.  While not ideal in any way, it happened in about the best way it could have:

• Flo Hawks is a 24-hour service company.  A septic emergency on a Sunday was no big thing!
• My kids were fascinated.  They pulled the kitchen chairs right up to the window and watched the whole process.  They shrieked about how gross it was, and were totally transfixed.
• I just paid our taxes last week.  The refund covers the cost of both emptying the tanks as well as the new pump...with a little bit left over!
• The tank was full to the brim, and backed up into the general plumbing.  While it took a few minutes of flushing and running some water to clear out, we caught it in time before there was any kind of major back-up into my drains or toilets.
• There are TONS of poop-themed jokes and puns that can be made (e.g. the pump crapped out)
• The kids learned about where all of our water and flushes go.
• I now understand why I was compelled to purchase those cheap, over-scented candles.
• We learned that the pump and the high-water sensor are on the same breaker (what genius designed that?), which isn't shared with anything else.  So now we know that we need to actually check the breaker on a regular basis.
• We learned that you are supposed to clean the filter in the tank once a year (oops) and how to do it.
• The pump was 20 years old.  That is almost 3 times the average life-span.  We were on borrowed time even when we purchased the house.
• The drain field seems to still be okay, so there's $10,000 we won't have to spend.
• I discovered that I don't know where my homeowner's insurance policy is, so I ordered a fresh copy.
• My children have had all of their shots and have medical insurance, so I don't have to worry that something terrible will happen to them from playing in the puddle.

I deserve BEAUTY in my life!