I find it hard to believe that the end of the first quarter of 2009 is almost here! With the new year brought great promise, hope, and a can do attitude! Now why haven't all of the various markets, investors, and such followed along with that? Honestly, I'm not that certain myself.

I have discovered over the last several months that there is more in me than I previously thought. I have gone out and done things that some other folks have thought I was out of my mind for doing. Anything groundbreaking? No, not really. So why are the rest of the companies out there not doing the same thing?

So what is it that I've done so far this year? Well, I started out by repairing a leak. No big deal you think. But to get at the leak I had to tear out a shower surround. Not bad, but unfortunately I wasn't able to salvage all of it. Major bummer since the shower is in the basement and it was only 32 inches square. So small you step out to change your mind. And the door that was originally on it. Well, let's just say that my brother-in-law had a hard time squeezing in and he isn't that large of a person.

Follow up:

So it started with the surround. Why? Because when testing to try and find the leak we discovered that the shower control was bad and not allowing any hot water out. I don't know about you, but I'm not one for taking an ice cold shower! So that meant getting at the shower control which meant getting the surround out. A lot of pulling and a few rips & tears later it was done.

Next was to find out where the leak really was. It turns out it was in the ceiling about 3.5 feet away from the outside wall. And yes, when the shower was installed they put the control & shower head on the outside wall. Don't ask... I don't really know why they did it.

In looking at the leak I realized I had to cut a hole in the ceiling. No big deal, I had my drywall saw, a ladder, and face mask ready. Much to my surprise I didn't need the saw. The ceiling was so saturated with water that it just fell off. That meant a much bigger hole than originally planned for in order to get all of the saturated water logged ceiling down. And another feature I found were the several prior repairs to the pipes resulting in a huge hole in the ceiling over the shower itself. Ah well, it is only drywall, in the ceiling, that needs to be put up...

Lucky for me I have a great resource in a local hardware store! The guys there are fabulous!! If you ever have a chance to get into McGuckin's Hardware in Boulder Colorado it is well worth stopping. The employees are friendly, knowledgable, and everywhere! And they carry pretty much everything you could ever need! So I got the FlexPex and sharkbite connectors to do the repairs. No soldering, no muss, no fuss. Quick, simple, easy! That was the easiest part of the repair.

Getting the new ceiling in place and a new shower surround took a little longer! Not hard, just time consuming. And all in all, I love the finished product.

Now why would people think I was crazy for doing it? Well, I guess that most don't think that anyone but a contractor, plumber, or repair company can fix things. (Besides, I'm female and that probably had a little to do with it!) I will tell you this, anyone can do it. You just have to have the right frame of mind!

And why did all of this come to mind when I was thinking about the end of the quarter and the economy? Well, I guess it comes down to looking at what is going on. If you sit back and say "I can't do it!" then you never will.

But on the other hand if you look at life and say "I can!" then you will!! You may need some help and instruction along the way. But isn't that part of life? Learning, helping, networking, and growing??

I now have a fully functional shower with repairs that will prevent leaks in the future, and the knowledge that I know I can do it again!

So what are you going to do that pushes you a bit, steps outside the box, and gets you to say "Yes, I can!"

Because I tell you this. Everyone that does that, will help the rest of us and get this country, economy, and world moving in a positive, forward, and better direction! So are we done? Yes in a way I think we are. So that means we are just beginning to move forward! And that is a good thing!

And if along the way you see an opportunity for someone looking for a job in a mid to senior level position in Rail, Accounting, or Finance drop me a line.