I was tired of pretending the damage was a funny inconvenience.

I moved Harper away from the wet floor, shut off power to the affected kitchen light as a precaution, and called the roofer whose estimate had been sitting in my drawer for months.

I had put off the repair because there was always another bill.

The roof was not going to wait for my feelings to improve.

I used the community assistance referrals the lawyer had given me and asked about an emergency repair program for older homeowners.

The program covered part of the work, and I arranged an affordable payment plan for the rest.