My husband decided to take on a project … dangerous, I know. Since we have two girls around the same age who share a room (and everything else), he wanted to make a storage unit for their room. The girls have so much junk that they refuse to get rid of, plus tons and tons of books. The thought of them having more storage space – even just simple shelves – seemed like a lifesaver. When he and I had originally discussed the idea of him building this unit, we thought it was a great concept. I was a bit concerned about how long it would take, seeing as he wanted to do this from scratch. But he assured me that building it himself would save us money, and “it won’t take that long.”
Famous last words.
And so the adventure began. We looked around online at what IKEA had for sale and he found a storage unit that he knew he could replicate. He measured the bedroom, figured out dimensions, bought the lumber and tools needed, and got to work. Of course, after needing to buy the tools too, it wasn’t any cheaper than going to IKEA. But, by god, he was going to get this done! It would be fantastic and built with love! The girls would be ecstatic!
Three weeks later, I received the following text message: “If I ever decide to play Bob the Builder again, tell me to shut up and go to IKEA…”
You see, my husband is not a carpenter by trade. His hands are not in the greatest shape and he’s a very busy man. What he does do, he does well. He’s phenomenal at his job, he’s the best dad that my kids could have, and he’s an amazing husband. He is extremely intelligent and tells the best (or maybe worst?) dad jokes ever. I also highly respect that he “has no quit.” He refuses to give up on anything. Because of that, though, he often bites off more than he can chew – and he would rather choke than spit it out.
Sometimes in life, you can’t take on every project. You can’t juggle everything on your own and expect it all to be up to standard. Unfortunately, particularly for stubborn people like my husband and myself, it is much more productive to pass off the hard stuff to someone who is an expert. Are you unsure of how to organize your office? Maybe, instead of taking a month to figure it out on your own, you can hire someone to get it done in a few days. Do you hate math? Perhaps you can trade services with someone to do your bookkeeping. There is someone out there who can make your life easier by doing what they’re already good at. Whether it’s marketing, sales, building a storage unit, or cooking (which may or may not be part of why I married this man)… sometimes you just need to find your IKEA.
Editor’s note: Yes, I got permission from my husband to share this story. No, he has not yet finished the storage unit. And yes, he will finish it…eventually.
