Photo by Henning Kesselhut on Unsplash

The Thing About The Thing That’s Bothering You

There’s a way you haven’t tried

My gate doesn't shut properly, and hasn’t since the day we moved in. First few months, you had to slam it. Then it stopped shutting entirely.

I looked at the catch mechanism. Working perfectly. I looked at the alignment of the gate. It was straight.

I’d shut the gate. I’d think it was shut. Then it would blow open. It was driving me crazy. I had to wedge it shut with heavy bricks.

One day I was fiddling with the catch for the 87th time when for some reason — I have no idea why — I lifted the whole catch up. Immediately there was a satisfying click. The gate was shut.

All those months slamming, wedging and cursing. All I needed to do was gently lift the whole mechanism 1 millimetre.

There’s a way you haven’t tried.