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<h5 style="padding-left: 420px;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/dasqfamily/">Qfamily</a></h5>
Some things require fixing. The toilet that won't stop running. The pedal on your bike that makes an annoying screech with every round. The soup that's lacking a bit of spice or salt, to add interest and bring together all of the flavors.

<strong>Fixing is what you do to something that is inherently good and clearly on the right track, but just needs a bit of help—some tweaks—along the way.</strong>

When it comes to our stuff, sometimes it feels like my generation of Americans are too quick to toss out the old and replace it with something new. Shoe repair shops are becoming almost a thing of the past. It usually costs more to fix a DVD player than it does to buy a new one. And while I have many friends who know the proper way to darn a sock, I suspect that my collection of friends is somewhat…err...unusual.

<strong>Ironically, though, when it comes to societal and personal problems, we seem all too eager to “fix.â€</strong> We’re especially fans of the quick fix. We love the band-aid approach—we're more than happy to see if we can cover up the problem with a fresh coat of paint so we can forget about it a bit longer. When problems are mostly out of sight, after all, they can be mostly out of mind.
<h4>Are we misusing (or over-using) the word "fix"?</h4>
So here's what I'm pondering: <strong>Maybe we need to stop using the word "fix"</strong> unless we're referring to physical objects with minor broken aspects that can be made right. There are <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fix">many definitions</a> for the word "fix," but I think the one we tend to have in mind in these instances is this: "The act of adjusting, correcting, or repairing. To restore to proper condition or working order; repair."

(Maybe I'm being a bit nerdy about the semantics, but that's what tends to happen when you major in English and make a living using words.)

Of course, our use of the word "broken" goes right along with "fix," and should also be looked at more carefully. A marriage can be referred to as broken. So can a healthcare or education system. Trust can be broken, too. But not all broken things should be fixed. In some cases, they <em>can't</em> be fixed. What do we do, then?
<h4>Fix it, toss it, or claim a third approach</h4>
I began mulling all of this over yesterday when someone I follow on Twitter, @RogueReverend, tweeted this:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Did you really think Obama was going to fix everything? Because some stuff ain't gonna be "fixed." It's gonna be different.</em></p>
I "retweeted" (or quoted) her statement in my own tweet, then followed it with this:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>I like the distinction between *fixing* things &amp; doing them differently. for so long I felt like I needed to *fix* my life, then I reframed.</em></p>
What I meant by that is this: <strong>I saw all kinds of things in my life that I thought needed fixing, and other things that I thought were beyond fixing, and just needed to be tossed.</strong> If you have a broken DVD player, those are your options—try to get it fixed, or toss it and decide what to do from there.

<strong>But in life, with people and the messy situations we create, I'm discovering that we don't have just two options.</strong> There's a fuzzy third alternative, the one @RogueReverend referred to as "different."

It isn't going to be "fixed."

It isn't going to be trashed, and then replaced with a new version of the same old thing.

It's going to be "different." Re-framed and surprising—not the same old thing with just a fresh coat of paint.

That specific marriage or the idea of marriage? That health system intended to care for people who are sick and hurting? That idea of "church" or "community"? I believe they can all be seen in entirely new ways, from a previously blocked vantage point. It takes a bit more effort, but I believe it's the only way we can begin to see what's possible.