Here are some things that hold you back from getting a new start:

• answering machines that haven’t been set up yet.

• slow leak in a tire.

• metric socket sets.

• anything that drips.

• old maid popcorn kernels.

• no coffee creamer.

• stopped up spray nozzles.

• broken key stuck in a lock.

• lost button on a shirt collar.

• a broken zipper on pants.

• unmatched black socks.

• all mosquito traps.

• wet salt in a shaker.

• a Philips screwdriver with a slot screw.

• three-prong plugs with no adapter.

• wrong ingredients printed on a recipe.

• no mayo at Hap’s.

• a paper napkin stuck to your lip.

• lost deposit slips.

• computer glitches.

• no toothpick after barbecue.

• wrong-side-out clothes after you leave home.

• runny, cheap paint.

• cheap paint brushes that loose bristles.

• empty tape or toilet paper rolls.

• when you’re just out of reach on a ladder.

• when crown moldings are cut at wrong angles.

• hot, spicy chips by mistake.

• standing water.

• a wrong-size drill bit to fit a hole.

• too much salt.

• clogged drains.

• books with pages missing.

• corner that are not square.

• can openers that only work halfway.

• cleaning the bottom of a garbage can.

• candy wrappers that cling.

• broken glass on the floor.

• day-old donuts.

• forgetting to plug in the coffee pot.

• short electric blankets.

• no-seal bags or opening sealed ones.

• misplaced cellphones.

• subjective newscasters.

• broken eggs in the carton on top.

• garbage in – garbage out.

• dried up paint tubes.

• sticky syrup bottle lids.

• city employees that don’t call you back.

• too many rainy days.

• small print instructions.

— Clyde

Salisbury