Maud Berthold

You’re standing in your kitchen right now. Staring at the same cracked tile you’ve ignored for eight months.

You’re standing in your kitchen staring at that cracked tile. Or maybe it’s the bathroom faucet that’s been dripping for three months.

You ever stare at a dripping faucet at 2 a.m. and wonder if you should shut off the main valve or just jam a towel under it? I have.

You got three quotes for a leaky faucet. One says $85. Another says $220. The third says $395. And throws in a free coffee mug.

My coffee’s cold. The lid to the yogurt container is nowhere. And I just stepped on a Lego barefoot. Again. This isn’t chaos. It’s accumulation.

You’re standing in your kitchen right now. Staring at the cracked tile. Wondering if you should rip it all out (or) just live with it.

You’re standing in front of that half-painted wall again. Or staring at mismatched cabinet pulls you bought on a whim.

You’re scrolling again. Staring at fifteen tabs. Each one promising the answer about buying a home. But they all say different things.

You’re standing in the hardware store. Holding a leaky faucet in one hand and a cracked tile in the other.

You’re standing in front of a cracked tile. Or holding a wrench over a leaky faucet you’ve stared at for three days. You just want it fixed. Not sold to.