High Hopes, Just Misplaced

I had high hopes yesterday to spend less money and live better. My mother bought me a television antenna. Though I pay only $26 each month for cable, I was excited to cut the cord. Installing the thing with our TiVo DVR was a bear, but I managed only to have my high hopes dashed when our ABC affiliate refused to tune in.

We live amidst drumlins that were formed by retreating glaciers in the last ice age. These are large lumps of hill running parallel to one another. At least two drumlins and a plateau block the ABC signal.

I thought I’d be willing to move heaven and earth to cut cable, but I’m not at all up to that task. So much for my high hopes.

I took the antenna back and purchased a device to send music over wifi to the stereo. For too long I’ve streamed music through headphones or tiny speakers. This thing plays music through my amp and speakers and sounds glorious. I have one on the kitchen stereo. This new one is for the den and living room.

The install is idiot proof but this device failed to respond. I had spent two hours on an antenna that failed due to topography. Now I was stymied by the simplest of devices. I felt like a fool.

Forty minutes investigation made it clear the device was broken. I disconnected and exchanged it trying to keep a lid on my self-doubt. Back home, I had it playing music throughout the house in minutes.

Yesterday my hopes were high, but misplaced. I focused on cutting the cord and playing music throughout the house. Those are dependent on things beyond my control: the shape of the Earth and an assembly line in China. Installing the antenna, I measured up in every way. I’m in the clear even if it couldn’t receive the signals.

Same for the music device. I installed it correctly and I investigated such that I knew it was defective. Installing the new one was satisfying more because I saw that my process wasn’t defective in the slightest. That I can now play music through the house is gravy.

Yesterday, my high hopes were aimed just off target, but I used good technique and deliberative process such that today I see that my better hopes were all realized and it was a good day.