How 30 Seconds and a Screwdriver Can Change Your Life

Lower your threshold for bullshit. Raise your bar for self-care.

Behold the miracle that is a Philips screwdriver.

In my hands, it became the mighty sword that slayed a massive annoyance dragon. For over a year, the under-the-kitchen-counter pull-out compost bin kept catching whenever I tried to close it.

A minor annoyance became a colossal pain in the ass.

The vestigial, useless metal arm would fall and jam against the frame. Every batch of coffee grounds, avocado peels, or moldy berries that landed in that compost bin meant my being taunted, thwarted, and tortured in some small way by a piece of metal. Not that I took it personally.

I just put up with it.

Who knew that fighting with a cabinet several times a day might create chronic low-grade misery, and that putting up with shit that made me miserable was jerky behavior on my part. The biggest assholes we know are the ones we let live in our heads.

Tonight I finally had enough.

I unscrewed the fucker. In 30 seconds something that was pissing me off for over 455 days was gone. It’s clear that 1) I have way too high a threshold for bullshit and 2) a way too low bar for self-care. It took me over a year to bring a teeny bit of ease into my life. Seriously?

Do not ever wait 15 months to be kind to yourself.

What small thing in your life gnaws at your well-being right now? What could be solved with 30 seconds and a screwdriver? And what the hell are you waiting for?