The fish that saved Palos Hills

When my wife and I were looking to buy our house we had only one slight disagreement. It was over our fish tank. I wanted no part of it. I’ve known others with tanks and I knew that we would be singing up for an unpaid part time job. However, my wife loved the look of the tank and thought it was really cool looking. It is in our wall in the basement and I do admit that it is a conversation starter as everyone who has ever entered my house has commented on it.

Still, I was against it. The sellers were willing to move the tank with them and drywall the hole for free. However, my wife, Mom, Step Dad and our realtor were all in favor of keeping the tank so, I was a one man army fighting an un-winnable war. I succumbed knowing full well what we are getting ourselves into.

I knew nothing about taking care of fish. I never cared and I find them boring. So, I agreed to the tank on the condition that I would never have to lift a finger to care for them. I should have known that was never going to happen but, I was gullible and didn’t want to start a fight over it.

What I feared would happen did. The tank caused my wife and I much stress. First off the guy who owned the house before us took poor care of the fish and we found out they were all in bad health. The pump quit working a month into owing the house. We had to call in a guy to look into it and see if the fish could be saved. So, far only one fish has died and that in and of itself is a minor miracle. Every night it is a battle with that tank. It takes a lot of work to clean, change the water and keep up on the maintenance.

Being proven right is very little consolation. I have to bear the brunt of my wife’s struggles with the tank. I feel her pain but some part always wants to say, I told you so. But what good would it do. I want to live in as much of a stress free environment as I can and if Joyce is stressed than I am stressed.

So, I am learning more and more about the tank. I don’t like it but, my wife does and for as much as she does for me, if helping her with that tank is all she wants I can do that. I guess the lesson in all of this is, even if you know you are right, you can still be wrong. I knew this tank would be hard work and stressful. What I didn’t see is the joy it gives my wife when she gets something to work on it. She is learning a new hobby and is proud of the progress she has made with the tank. In that sense I guess it is worth of all the struggles.