The Dilemma
Life can beat down hard and fast on a body so much
so that sometimes it is difficult to focus on things that need attention. I
struggle with this often and find I need reminders of how simple things
sometimes provide powerful lessons if I only notice. I sometimes try to pry
life lessons from small things. I’m not sure if I am quirky that way or if it
is some way that my occupation had molded me or if it is now my being a dad
that lends itself to this. No matter what it is that influences me to be this
way I recently discovered a lesson for myself and I gained it from watching our
young daughter Hannah and then thinking about being her dad. It all started
with a garbage can.
The
Background
Tuesdays
are garbage days on our street. Late each Monday night, I roll the big blue can
out to the curb at the end of the driveway leaving the can and it’s contents, a
week’s worth of stuff we no longer want around, for a big truck to devour the
next day. We go about our lives and, like magic, that big truck appears and by
the end of the day we discover an empty trash can at the street curb. Of
course, this now means that can needs to be returned to where we keep it the
rest of the week.
On
a recent Tuesday afternoon, as we turned into our driveway Hannah noted the
garbage can and understood it needed to be put back where we keep it. On this
day, the weather was cold so I had already determined when we got home I would
pull into our garage and get Hannah out of the car and into the house then deal
with returning the garbage can to where it belonged later. As we neared the
garage though Hannah asked if we could retrieve the garbage can and that is
where the lessons started.
The Experience
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The Lessons
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As we got out of the car, I told Hannah if she
wanted to return the garbage can she needed to put her coat on as it was cold
outside.
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Prepare for a task when possible.
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After getting her coat on, Hannah headed out
the garage down the driveway. She charged out with such fervor that I had to
tell her to slow down just so I could catch up with her.
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Tackle each task with enthusiasm.
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As we approached the garbage can, I asked
Hannah if she wanted to check the mailbox so we opened it and took out the
mail before turning our attention to the garbage can. Since the can is so
much larger than Hannah, I had to do some assessing then finagling to get it
ready for her to push.
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As you get started with a task, look it over
from as many angles as you can before diving into it.
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When we were ready, we aligned ourselves behind
the can and started our journey. At this point we started moving the garbage
can. We had to exert some extra energy to get the can going at first.
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Getting started is tough-maybe the toughest
part of any task-and real effort may need to be exerted to get going.
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In the grand scheme of things, I was doing most
of the work to move the garbage can although Hannah was helping.
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Understand that sometimes you may have to do
more than your share of the work.
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I also had to make sure we moved forward at a
pace comfortable for Hannah. At one point Hannah told me to move over some so
that she could get a better grip on the can.
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Communicate with others helping you. Talk to
them and listen to them when they talk to you.
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We slowed down so I could adjust my grip and
give Hannah more room then we moved forward again.
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Adjust what you are doing when the needs of
others need to be met.
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Keeping things going forward was a bit of a
challenge since I had be aware of Hannah and still push the can, and to do so
with one hand since my other hand had to hold the mail from the mailbox.
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Be prepared to balance more than one thing
while working on the task at hand.
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Eventually we hit a smooth stride and things
were moving along well.
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Keep at it. You’ll hit a stride and realize
things are getting done. A steady ride can mean progress is being made.
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Then we topped the small hill in our driveway
and just as quick we were rolling the can downhill. Here we had to slow down
but we still needed to make sure we kept moving forward.
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Be prepared for struggles but don’t look away
when things are going well. Going up a hill and going down a hill are two
different directions and they both have their own set of challenges.
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Finally, we neared the resting place for the
garbage can, so we maneuvered it to the right place completing our task.
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When you get near the end of a task, make
certain you finish it.
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The
Takeaway
Your
takeaway may be how embarrassingly simple things seem to overwhelm this writer.
That’s fine. I find when I let life become overly complicated then I lose track
of what matters most in life, so any embarrassingly simple thing that brings me
back to reality is usually a welcome thing. As I pondered the few moments
Hannah and I spent moving a garbage can I thought about how I want her to come
to appreciate the simple lessons outlined here. I believe each experience noted
here can be projected to much larger issues in life and, in turn, each lesson
learned noted here can be used to apply to that experience. I hope it is
something she will heed as she grows in life. Of course, I find myself having
to experience and relearn many of these lessons over and over-even at my
age-and that’s something I’m not certain I could have seen as clearly until a
certain little girl called me Daddy.
