Never Say Never

Do not...I repeat...do not say no one can fix it to my husband. Over the years I have come to dread when someone tells him that they brought it to the professionals and they said that it couldn't be done.

Those words seem to trigger something deep inside of Bob. I guess it is a challenge of sorts to someone who has a keen, inquisitive mind, especially regarding all things mechanical.

Three examples come to mind:

We had a favorite restaurant in Minneapolis. If it was filled we might be seated in a section that had the air conditioning ducts blowing on us. The cold air could dampen an otherwise delicious meal. I complained to the waiter and his response was, We have had many complaints. We had the pros check it and they cannot adjust it. Those words were a dare to my challenged spouse and the next day, when the restaurant was closed, was all the time he needed to fix the problem. The manager was so grateful that he did not need to lose customers to that section that Bob and I had free meals for a year. That was a win-win.

A few years later we were visiting my Aunt Marie in Indiana. Her home was filled with interesting clocks that her son had sent her from Germany during his years stationed there. One especially unique one, called the Flying Pendulum, was not working. I brought it to several clock experts and none could repair it, my aunt complained. While she and I spent a pleasant afternoon reminiscing and looking through family photos, Bob worked patiently and persistently on the clock. By dinner time it was ticking along with the dozen other clocks. My aunt was so pleased that she promised the clock to Bob after she died. Within a few months other relatives admired that very special clock, unnoticed when it was still, and it was gifted to them.. That was not a win-win, but Bob was pleased that he could meet that challenge and that was what mattered to him.

A few days ago Bob showed me a cell phone that he had rescued from a soggy gutter on main street in Hot Springs. He knows next to nothing about cell phones but he brought it home, cleaned out the water and the mud and in two days he had it working so that I could text someone on the list to get a number for the owner. I would have dumped it, but Bob knew that someone out there would be upset by losing everything on the phone, plus, it had 300 some days left on it.

This is one of the many reasons I chose to spend my life with this thoughtful, caring person. He is never too busy to help someone in need of assistance, and quietly gives of his time and curiosity to make this world a little better place and, in doing so, makes my place in this life richer by knowing him.