Ding Dong

May 24, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Yesterday afternoon I installed a device that will allow me to hear my music at a louder volume when I’m at home. I don’t want to blast my ears but I do enjoy listening to music at a reasonable level.

Our stereo has always had the capacity to play at the right volume but there’s been a problem. The living area of the home we bought last year is towards the back of the house so if the music reaches a certain level we can’t hear anyone knocking on the front door. We don’t have a lot of people dropping in but I don’t want to miss hearing anyone who might be trying to grab our attention.

Yesterday I finally got around to putting a button for the door bell next to the front door. With the drilling and the fastening done everything’s as it should be. (There was a doorbell in place when we first moved in but it stopped working after a short while.)

The doorbell’s chime is quite loud, and at the back of the house, so I can now enjoy my music without the fear of missing any visitors. Now we just have to wait for someone to come along and press the button.



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Can you take a hint?

July 9, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
7 Comments

Do you know when you’ve stayed too long and it’s time to leave?

Have you ever had guests visit who don’t seem to get the hint?

I heard a day or so back that a German woman had to call emergency services to rescue her after a friend dropped in at her apartment then talked for thirty hours straight. I can’t even stay awake for thirty hours but apparently this lady’s guest just rambled on about personal problems and became increasingly intoxicated.

The 48 year old lady dialled the emergency hotline after many failed attempts at encouraging her guest to leave. She didn’t know what else to do but to call an ambulance.

When the paramedics refused to carry the guest out of her apartment, the woman called the police. Thankfully they picked up the friend and drove her home.

I hope if I ever outstay my welcome when visiting a friend that I take the hint.

There are times when we have to let a friend disrupt our life so that we can hear what’s going on in theirs. We need to be open to hearing their pain and to journeying with them during the dark times but there comes a point where we need to say, ‘enough’. Helping someone in their time of need may inconvenience us and we may need to rearrange our plans now and then, but if we’re to be of any use to those we’re seeking to help, we need to create boundaries.

If I need to stay up all night to help a friend through a dark time, that’s one thing, but thirty hours straight is of no use to anyone.

Are you able to set boundaries that help you and others?

If you’re just on a social visit with friends, how do you decide when it’s time to go?

Have you had friends stay far too late and how did you let them know it was time to go? I heard of a guy who used to just get up and go to bed if his guests stayed too long. Probably not the most subtle or sensitive way to get the message across.

I’d love to hear what you have to say. Just click on the comments link of this post and have your say.



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