Although you probably don't think about this very often (unless you are a contractor,) there is a lot of stuff between the ceiling of one room and the floor above it. Not only is it crowded with wood framing and insulation, but there are networks of copper and PVC pipes, duct (not duck) work, electric wires, and other cables and such. None of it is pretty, which is why it is hidden. But every house has a closet or furnace room where a lot of that is accessible. When it's not accessible, holes have to be cut in the drywall which can make a big mess that has to be repaired.

So today "we" were measuring the ductwork in the ugly closet where that stuff is readily accessible. (Again, I was just watching as Don was explaining what he was doing and why.) You have to be able to get to those ducts and pipes and wires you'd rather keep hidden because those inner workings make the air breathable, the toilets flush, the lights turn on, the televisions get their pictures. They are so important that when something goes wrong with any part of that network and you can't get to it, you have to cut holes to access it if it's sealed up behind drywall. When this family's beautiful addition is complete and they are showing it to their friends, I'm sure they will not bring their guests down to the furnace room to show how the air duct had to be re-routed with flex-duct to venthilate that room.

I got thinking about the necessity of closets like this in a house and the flip-side of this metaphor.

We all have parts of our lives we'd like to keep out of the view of others, the guests in our lives. These pieces that we build our lives around are not necessarily pretty, but they help us function. They help us breathe, wash, get information, and flush away the shit. We have to have access to the ugly parts of our lives so that our current situation can function. Now your family might know all about the ugly closet and how those wires are crossed. You may have had to call in an expert to re-rout your air ducts - especially if you are building. But we all have that: a functional or even beautiful front for public viewing, and a whole bunch of crap that makes that possible. If we seal up the ugly parts, eventually, we will have to make a mess to fix it or possibly ruin more of the house by letting the leaky pipe or moldy air duct go unchecked. We just need to remember to give each other a break about that.

Hopefully if you have to work in a tight space like that with someone else, it's with someone who knows what they are doing and doesn't mind getting close. I know it makes my job more pleasant.