From Broken Flusher to Celebration

Have you ever had a broken flusher on your toilet? A good friend informed me that “flusher” is not the American Standard official term for this part of a toilet, but I’m confident you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the long piece inside a toilet tank, attaching the handle to a chain to trip the rubber disk, and release water in a successful flush. It is an integral part of a toilet!

With a functional flusher we enjoy the luxury of merely flicking the silver handle on a toilet and -wha-la! – seeing a magical exchange of water in the toilet bowl. However, when the flusher is broken, as in my story here, a flick of the handle brings only a dismal click, and nothing else.

When this happened at my house I, being the resourceful person that I am, removed the lid cover and manually pulled the rubber disk up for each flush. Yes, the water was cold and sometimes my sleeves were too long, but it worked for me. The problem was with my 16 year old daughter. She thought it was gross to stick her hand in a toilet, even if the water was clean. So I put a plier nearby and she fished to catch the little chain, and pulled it without getting her hand wet. This system continued for three weeks.

Until today when I decided that I would address this situation head-on, and fix the flusher. So I trekked off on a mission, to Home Depot.

Do you have any idea how many different types of flushers exist? I was fortunate to meet a new friend, Jasper, who works in plumbing at Home Depot, and is extremely knowledgeable about the configurations and benefits of each model. He explained front mount, side mount, universal mount, and also metal verses plastic composition. Less than $5 later I was happily on my way home to begin installation.

Now for some of you, repairing a toilet may be old hat. You would probably never give such a repair enough thought as to write an article about your experience. But for me, this was an accomplishment. I was truly ecstatic when the new flusher fit, and it worked! The sound of that first flush was happy music to me. I wanted to celebrate. And celebrate I did.

When my daughter came home from school I led her into the bathroom, and instructed her to flick the handle. She smiled. Then she spotted a package of Oreo cookies and two mugs of milk on the back of the toilet. I said, “This is a new flusher party!” She gave me an appalled glance of humiliation and disgust that every parent of a teenager has seen, and she said, “Mom, this is really weird.” But then, her eyes twinkled and she laughed out loud. We both laughed as we stood in the bathroom dunking Oreos in our milk.

So, what can a broken flusher and a bathroom party of Oreos teach us about life? Things in life break – flushers, promises, relationships, and dreams. And we don’t like it when that happens. We live with inconvenience, or agony, for awhile. But then someone like Jasper gives us a hand. It might be a friend, a pastor, or a life coach who brings a fresh eye to help us see the options that are before us. My favorite time in coaching is when a client experiences an “ah-ha” moment, and sees their own situation in a new light, from a perspective they’ve not taken before. That opens the door for change.

And, I love a celebration! My clients and I celebrate together in nearly every call. Because when you’re looking for good in life, you see it. Little successes, like a new flusher, give us hope, and change attitudes which begin to change life – for the better.

If you have had to live through some broken pieces of life, please contact me. I will be honored to walk with you through the repair and healing. Together we will find the energy to address your situation, secure the new pieces you need, and celebrate progress. You will learn to keep your eyes open for little successes and celebrate them. It will make you smile.