A long time ago, when we didn’t know any better, we picked out light fixtures for the house. Although we looked at so many different styles I became overwhelmed, we at last, due to overload, picked a light for the stairwell that hung from the ceiling.

The chain is just a couple of feet long, and it is very pretty.

We could have selected lights that attached to the wall in the stairwell, but at that time in our lives we weren’t worried about the future.

Or the thought of what we’d have to do when the bulb burned out. We never thought at all.

So now, if, heaven forbid, the bulb in the stairwell burns out, it takes a bit of doing to change it.

Doing heights has never been one of my strengths, and it seems to get progressively worse with time, so no longer am I able to climb the big ladder high above the stairs while the muscle in the group supports the base. As far as climbing up and letting go to screw in a bulb, we won’t even discuss it because it’s never going to happen.

Unfortunately, the one who is able to do heights with no qualms can’t climb the ladder and hold it steady on the stairs at the same time. So that leaves us in somewhat of a quandary.

A quandary is an unsolvable problem that must be solved. Kind of like war.

What is the solution for this problem?

Well, we can use the light as little as possible and turn it off the moment we notice it’s on. Yes, we have been doing this for some time, as the last changing of the light bulb was not a pleasant scene.

Indeed, the matter has reached what I consider a crisis status, as now even though it is dark and I may be going up the stairs, someone will switch the light off before I get to the top, because apparently this person isn’t aware someone is actually in the stairwell.

This has been going on for some time.

It can be embarrassing when we have overnight guests, which we often do, as I have a bunch of traveling relatives and we’re located halfway between a lot of places they visit.

It is difficult to explain without sounding insane as to why we don’t use the light on the stairs.

This past weekend, we had out-of-town company and a close watch was kept on the light switch. When our guest wondered aloud why on earth we didn’t turn on the light in the stairwell when it is dark as pitch, I haltingly explained.

So then, she asked, “Why don’t you turn on the lamp on the landing?” Why not indeed? Well might we wonder. The truth of the matter is that although obviously this is a brilliant and simple solution to our dilemma, we never thought of it. Happily, a fresh perspective was all that was needed, and we can now walk upstairs in the light. It’s a blamed miracle.