Man-cation And A Flooded Basement

I’m starting to realize that being “happy” for me is more about a consistent but moderate feeling of well-being than any euphoric joy or elation.  The ups and downs don’t work for me.  Consistency is the goal and this last week I sensed I’m making progress.

Last weekend we held or first ever Pothier Man-cation.  A Man-cation is a vacation just for men.  My three brothers, two brothers-in-law and my dad came and stayed at our house just outside Milwaukee.  On Friday we went to Chicago and watched a Cubs game, saw the movie Inception (B+) and had deep dish pizza at Gino’s East (fantastic pizza and they got us right in) just off Michigan Ave. (where, by the way, they were filming Transformers 3).  On Saturday in the Milwaukee area we golfed 18 holes, had a steak BBQ, waterskied/wakeboarded on Lake Negawicka, and finished at Five Guys (excellent burgers & fries).  In addition to all that we talked late, played games and had a great time.

Here’s us at the golf course:

And here’s us eating breakfast:

Last Saturday evening as I sat in the boat and watched the sun start to set I realized how much I was enjoying everything.  I was with a great group of guys, the weather was perfect, we could ski and wakeboard as much as we wanted and no one was on his cell phone.  I realized, however, that although I was in as good a place mentally as I’ve been in a long time, I wouldn’t describe it as one of the happiest moments of my life.  Life was good and I was keenly aware and appreciative of everything, but I knew the events were temporary and that was ok.  It struck me as a more mature and deeper sense of well-being.

I’m not sure last weekend and the feeling I experienced on that boat would have meant as much without the contrast of events, but the apparent similarity of mental stability, I experienced last night.

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday.  She turned 50 and her sister Angela was in town to celebrate.  We had a special dinner planned and events lined up through the weekend.

However, at around 4:30 yesterday afternoon it started to rain hard while we talked in the living room.  Around 6:00 p.m. I decided to make sure our drainpipes were clear because it was still coming down hard.  By 6:10 I realized our basement was completely flooded.  We had at least 3 inches of standing water, carpet actually floating and not a dry spot to be found.  The night had changed. 

(See news item on 8 inches of rain in Milwaukee)

I canceled our dinner reservations and the three of us got to work hauling everything we could out of the basement and managing the water.  My wife called J.S. Carpet Cleaning and luckily they had a van and guys available to pump water out and pull up the carpet and pads until well after midnight (A+ for these guys).

If you’ve dealt with a flooded basement you know that sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize it’s happened.  If you haven’t experienced it, thank the gods and don’t buy a home with a basement.

Here are some pictures of how it looks today with fans and de-humidifiers trying to dry everything out:

What was interesting to me last night (and even today) was that my head was not much different than it was on that boat last Saturday.  I didn’t freak out.  I didn’t get upset.  I didn’t panic.  I quickly realized the night was going to change and we got to work doing what needed to be done.  I felt the same sense of awareness, peace and calm.  I realized the feeling wasn’t about my surroundings, it was more about what was going on inside.  

I also have to give Virginia and Angela a lot of credit for their attitude.  Instead of having dinner at one of Milwaukee’s finest restaurants, we were soaking wet dragging furniture and electronics out of a drenched basement.  And yet they never complained and just worked hard.

Today they’re off having lunch and getting a well-deserved massage. 

And me?  Well, I’m still holding on to that sense of well-being despite a soggy basement that will require thousands of dollars in repairs and hours of work.  Somehow it hasn’t been about the events this week.  It’s just been life.  And whatever it is I’m doing I’ve been able to keep my head in the game in a way that was not possible a few years ago.

So apparently, whether it’s skiing on Lake Negawicka or dealing with the lake in my basement, it’s possible to maintain an even sense of well-being.  For me that’s progress.