My freezer made a very loud buzzing sound. So loud that people commented on the noise. It was audible at the other end of the house and when you were next to it, it was hard to talk on the phone or hear someone in the next room. But .... I didn't call the repair man because I didn't know what was involved and what it might cost. The sound didn't worry me (too much) because it seemed to me that something was vibrating. When the compressor went on, the freezer buzzed. When it went off, it was quiet. I didn't think something was broken. So it kept on buzzing.
Then the other day, someone came to the house and noticed the buzzing and asked why didn't I check it out. After months of doing nothing, I finally turned the freezer around to take a look, and know what I found? A small cardboard tag on a metal fastener vibrated when the compressor turned on and it made a buzzing sound. I couldn't believe it! I held the tag and the buzzing subsided. I let go and it buzzed.
I got a pair of scissors and cut off the tag and voila! When the compressor turns on, there is a normal sounding hum. No more buzz. What a relief.
I think my buzzing freezer is a metaphor for something; I'm not sure what. I suspect there are two lessons to be derived from this episode, but what are they?
Number one: a huge noise was made by a little card. The lesson is?
Number two: I allowed it to buzz for months when all it took was turning it around, taking a look, and snipping off the card. The lesson is?
It reminds me of the time that a funny light came on on the dashboard of my car. Rather than consult the owner's manual as to what that light meant, I ran to the dealer. $128 later, they told me that I simply hadn't tightened the gas cap enough after filling the tank and that it registered as low pressure. In other words, when all else fails read the directions.
ReplyDeleteI would guess that the metaphor in life would mean that something might seem major but actually be a very minor problem that we ourselves can fix with our own talents and skills. OTOH, we also need to realize when something could seem small and it really needs major intervention. Basically sometimes we overlook large problems in life because they seem small at the moment and make a big deal out of small things that might never amount to a large problem. We often have to turn things around (the freezer) and examine things from all angles to decide which problems need intervention and which we can ignore or fix on our own.
Great, thanks :)
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