I unexpectedly had the furnace guy out the other day. I messed up the whole system, but as usual the guys at Pacific Heating and Cooling were ever the professionals and took responsibility for the issue. They really weren’t directly, but he took it on only because we weren’t told that letting the little metal piece on the end of a cord touching more metal would blow a fuse. I unplugged the air scrubber and let the cord fly.

I was wondering if my breathing problems were because of the new device which we had installed in February. I know it doesn’t make sense, because why would I blame something that’s supposed to purify the air in the house on respiratory issues? But I thought I’d give it a try, unplugged it, and all systems stopped. The guy (so far they’re all guys, but never the same one) came out after hours. He wasn’t upset that it was after 8:00 pm and he still hadn’t made it home, he knew what the problem was before he got to the house, and he not only fixed it right away, he showed my husband how he could replace a fuse if we ever had the problem again, but assured us they wouldn’t mind coming out and fixing it if it happened again. It was a free service call, however, we do pay to be in a service club, and if you recall how thrilled I am to be in the Nespresso Club, you know how much I like belonging.

As he wrote up the service call, I discussed my breathing issues with him. More than likely I had developed allergies due to the new MS medication I’m on. No, the furnace guy didn’t diagnose my health problem; I deduced it because I’ve never had allergies before. As for blowing the fuse, it seemed easier to me to first mess with the air scrubber than go to the doctor.

The whole situation got me to thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if a company that had really good customer service, such as Pacific Heating and Cooling could also help with other issues? I mean, the guy could have whipped out his stethoscope and listened to my lungs, told me whether they sounded clear and suggested a good allergy medication. I would have then asked him if he could find the small leak we’ve been plagued with for months, but it’s too small for a leak locating company to find. And since he was there, could he look at my camellia shrub and tell me why it didn’t bloom this year. Also, I picked up a couple bags of coffee grounds from Starbucks for my garden and did he know which plants liked them?

It would be so convenient to have a company be a one-size-fits-all. I know it’s impossible because I don’t even have a doctor that will handle all my health issues. I’ve been passed up to a neurologist for the MS, why can’t he help me figure out other issues. He just passes me back down. Once I had a rash related to an MS drug and the neurologist told me to go to my primary care doctor to diagnose that I indeed had a rash.

Think of the time it would save if every service person coming to the house was able to resolve every aspect of life. I know the best I can all hope for is that each one is really good at their jobs, which the guys at Pacific Heating and Cooling always have been. But still, since you’re here, I’ve been having problems with this tooth lately.

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. You can read more of her writing on her website livingwithgleigh.com, on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh by Gretchen Leigh.” Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Life section.