Mold in my home gave me insight into my life

FINAL Life Lesson #11, courtesy of the Mold Monster:

I know this may seem bizarre, but…

Mold in my home gave me insight into my life

You see, as the mold crept in and began taking over my home, it also began taking over my life.

(#see ya) Image created by Deb Plotkin

After discovering excessive (like a lot) of mold growing around my son’s bedroom window, other areas of his room quickly became infested with it. Then it began popping up in other areas of our apartment like Kevin Hart clips in my YouTube feed. It’s been about a month now, and it has become such a significant part of our daily lives that I’ve given it a name. I call it

The Mold Monster

I’ve written about it and talked about it and done my best to process the life-altering effect this experience has had on my family. Because until someone has gone through the heartbreak of having to toss into the trash items treasured since childhood and irreplaceable gifts from loved ones no longer with us, then one cannot begin to understand.

Let’s face it, loss is loss. Whether that’s losing a loved one, a home, a job or one’s marbles.

And we all must grieve the loss in our own way and in our own time. Only then can we choose to move on and make room for something even better to creep in – rather than the mold, of course.

It is also impossible to accurately describe the enormity of this undertaking known as “putting our lives back together.” It’s kinda like discovering all your belongings (ALL of them) have been covered in dog doo-doo and every time you try to wipe it away, it just smears more crap all over everything, including your hands.

In other words, it’s a sh*tty job, but it must be done.

(#R.I.P.) Image created by Deb Plotkin

Well-meaning peeps inquire daily about the Mold Monster’s progress:

“Why do you think this happened?” “What’s being done about it?” “Why is it taking so long?” “What’s the meaning of all this?”

I have no answers to those questions because those situations are completely out of my control. I don’t know the meaning of the mold or the loss or the upheaval. Instead, I can ask myself only this:

“What’s the meaning of my life?” In other words, “To what do I give importance?”

The Mold Monster is giving me a chance at a fresh start, a new beginning.

So why, then, am I struggling to put things back the way they were?

Why am I so desperately holding onto the past? Why am I obsessing about what has been when I ought to be focusing on what can be? Or, better yet, why am I not taking in all the glory of what IS right now?

I can never know the exact outcome of all this, but I do know what I treasure most. And I can tell you this…it’s not stuff. I’ll miss certain things, of course.

But my life has meaning because of all the awesome people I am blessed to share it with, and the happy memories I enjoy making with them, and the beauty of Nature around me, and the golden moments I create every day in the most delightful way.

So whether you’re going through your own mold saga or a similar situation, please remember this:

I now know all my moments are golden opportunities to be the best version of me that I can be. And I get to choose which ones I embrace. This journey of mine has many twists and turns and sometimes a roadblock or two. But I have faith in where I’m headed, and I’ll get there one Baby Step at a time.

I’ll do the best I can to salvage what I can and let go of the rest. And though I do not yet have a definitive solution for the yuckiness taking up residence in my home, I am deciding to put the Mold Monster to rest - along with my worries and doubts and fears.

I have a vision for a much better future, and it doesn’t include dread.

(#dread is dead) Image created by Deb Plotkin

Want even more???