how hard can it be?

so last night I heard the familiar gurgle of the bowl. Feeling quite confident with my new found plumbing skills I strolled into the bathroom, grasped the handle firmly and and gave it a hard determined jiggle. I then walked out, confident the problem was solved. 5 mins later a sound caught my ear and I leaned my head through the bathroom door, quite perplexed at the sound of running, gurgling water. Time for more drastic measures. I again grabbed the handle, said a few colorful words and showed it who was boss. Another five minutes passed and still the bowl kept bubbling and rising.
I squared my shoulders...this toilet was not going to get the best of me. It was time to take the lid off the tank. With both hands on the lid, I counted to three and pulled it off. Here's a life lesson, when removing a lid from a toilet tank do NOT lean in right away to see what the problem is. A shot of disgusting toilet water sprayed me directly in my eye. I'm thinking that's probably not good, and definelty not normal. I reattached the hose to the thing-a-jig, but the water kept coming. So, being a smart as I am I ran to the other toilet to see what the inner workings of a functioning toilet looked like and copied it. Time for the test. I pushed the handle a little cautiously at first, then I heards the glorious sound of the flush. I had won! I beat the toilet! I passed the first test of singleness! Victory was mine! What a beautiful sound, what a ......what the??? ....what was that noise? The gurgle was back...I dropped to my knees, "NOOOOO..." rushed from my lips. It can't be, it was. The chain from the stopper had unattached and gone down. I tried to pull it up, but it was stuck. I pulled and I cursed and it wouldn't budge. The water kept coming. I hung my head in shame, kneeled on the floor took a deep breath and turned off the water. Toilet 1 .... Cari 0.

I called a friend after the incident. She started talking about how things were connected in the toilet and what thing-a-ma- jig did what. I realized she was a pro, she had had years of experience with these things. She is a single mom, works two jobs, has an old car that just broke down, can't afford much for herself. She is an amazing woman. I don't consider myself a single mom, I can't complain, I am being more than taken care of and supported while I try to become more self sufficient and I am so grateful for that. But I applaud those women who have had to go it alone, who have had to give up everything to raise their children. They are absolutley extraordinary and deserve so much respect.