It's a good thing I don't make decisions on days like today...

I think I woke up on the wrong side of the floor today.

After tossing and turning all night long and willing my thermometer on my alarm clock to please drop below 96 degrees, I peeled my eyes open to hear a strange water sound. Outside my window was sunny so it wasn't rain. I groaned and rolled off my mattress on the floor to realize a pipe must be leaking or the faucet was left on. Sure enough, some pipe that goes through my garden was spilling water out of it, flooding the garden. "I have to take care of this" was my thought. So, in my passive-aggressive state i went upstairs to take a shower in hopes that the problem would disappear.

Thankfully, the water did stop pouring into my garden. But I still have to call the plumber.

Then I strolled into the kitchen because I desperately needed a cup of coffee. I turned on the gas only to find the gas bottle was empty and I couldn't make coffee this morning.

My next thought was this: "Okay, I don't think I want to work in Af.stan any more."

Yep...got up on the wrong side of the floor.
So, I proceeded to get ready for the day, only to have a few fires to put out with my office staff over the phone in my 5-year-old level Dari, which I'm sure earns me great respect with the Afghan men I'm the boss over, and I leave to go to our other team house.

I put my laundry in the washer and turn the water pump on...nothing. The socket is broken and the guy who works at my house has to help jimmy-rig it so that we can stick two live wires into the wall in order to turn the water on. Just another day in paradise.

So, just thought I'd share with you what life can be like in "the hard places." Sometimes it just is downright annoying and full of the "tyranny of the urgent" and some days you do really feel like packing up and going home (it does help that I am flying out of here the day after tomorrow! he he). But, then days like these usually pass. You meet some cool people. Have opportunities for some great conversation. See God move in amazing ways. And you realize again why you are actually here. But sometimes, you have to fix the leaky pipe, challenge death when you plug things into the wall, and go without a cup of coffee or two. I guess that's just life.