balance

life is a constant balancing act.

you try to make a simple improvement, like say, insulating the garage door. the garage is warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, that's good. it was a simple project using materials you already had, so that's a bonus. so how could this be bad in any way?

well, without realizing it, the minimal weight of the insulation, added to the door, has upset the deceptively delicate balance. the motor is working harder, and the gears are wearing out much faster.

despite the pure intentions, and positive benefits, the opener failed and will need repair. and to prevent this from happening again, the tension needs to be adjusted, bringing the system back into balance. yes, of course it's an extra expense, but it's worth not having to remove the insulation.

the expense is understandable, and fortunately comes on the heels of the tax refund. the rub is, seemingly out of the blue, the garage door fails to open when your lovely wife tries to take your son to school. it let you, who put it out of balance in the first place, leave for work just fine.

even when you do a small, simple improvement, it may have lasting consequences further down the road. these consequences are not necessarily bad. we have learned, and made further, albeit unexpected, improvements the the larger garage door system.

i don't really know where i'm going with this, i was just trying to find a way to not feel so bad about screwing up our garage door, and costing us money that we'd like to spend on other improvements.