The cursed drill bit

So we got a playground at Costco for our backyard. Peter figured I'm going to have to be home more once the baby comes, so it'll keep Ellie somewhat entertained. Unfortunately, he had to bring it home and assemble it himself. It's supposed to take about 20 hours, but he actually got a lot done the first few days. He was drilling and screwing things in till the wee hours so Ellie could have her playground (try explaining to a two year old that she has to wait 20 hours for it to be done).

So around the 4th day or so, Peter was finishing up this one part and dropped the drill. It bounced off one of the wooden steps, and the top part of the drill bit broke off. Here is the sequence of the following events:

1. Peter searches the lawn in the middle of the night (about 1 1/2 hours).
2. Peter searches the lawn in the daylight (about 2 1/2 hours).
3. Peter decides he needs a metal detector and buys one at Walmart after unsuccessfully finding one amongst our friends (about 45 minutes).
4. Peter searches the lawn in daylight with the metal detector and the help of 2 friends (about 45 minutes).
5. Peter searches the lawn in the middle of the night with the metal detector (about 2 hours).
6. Peter searches the lawn in the daylight with the metal detector (about 2 hours).
7. Peter buys some really strong magnets (about 30 minutes).
8. Peter searches the lawn in the middle of the night with magnets (about 1 hour).

This all took place over the weekend. I think at some point he was out there with both metal detector and magnets. He is completely obsessed, so of course, there has been no progress on the playground. And his thoughts are consumed with finding this drill bit, nobly concerned that Ellie will one day step on it with bare feet and require a tetanus shot.

Anyway, this has taken up most of his free time and our conversation topics. He is still convinced that it's out there (which I guess must be true, because where else would it be?), but he's slowly approaching surrender to the drill bit.

I admire his spirit of commitment and resolution. I so would've given up after an hour or so. Actually, I did give up. Talk about unsupportive wife. But this character trait is one of the things I respect most about him. Even more so because I'm so inclined to give in, give up. This difference in our characters has actually been an issue of conflict for us in the past, but I'd like to think that our extreme differences balance each other out. At this point, I'm just praying that God will miraculously allow the drill bit to become un-embedded in the lawn, for Peter's sanity's sake.