Problems.
The trite response is that they are opportunities in disguise. But they are much more than that.
Problems can lift your soul if you let them or destroy your will…if you let them.
The sad truth is that most Americans worry too much about small problems, when there are so many large problems looming around them. We don’t know problems. This is a story of a small problem.
So, I get home and the doors are locked, which is natural for our house. I look for the key under the piece of two-tone stone pottery on the second shelf of the table I rescued from our old kitchen that now seems natural on the screened in mud porch.
No key.
I gave my key to my son and have relied on the poorly hidden key under the two-tone pot to gain entrance to the empty house.
Only I forgot to put it back in its place yesterday when I came home yesterday.
Sherman, set the way back machine to yesterday.
The security company calls me to tell me the power is out again, it has been out because of hurricane Irene. Our cable was out because, well because the cable was out and the cable guy was knocking on my door 15 minutes EARLY to a scheduled appointment to hook us back up to 278 channels of crap.
I know. I should go play the lottery. The cable guy was early?
Maybe the shock of the cable guy beating me home threw my routine for a loop. I quickly unlocked the door and pocketed the key. Only later that evening did I discover the key in my pocket and place it on my night stand. You can guess the rest.
So it’s a day later and I arrive home. The dog is looking at me through the door as I reach for the key under the two-tone stone pot on the second shelf of the table that I rescued from our old kitchen…
The key is unfortunately sitting on my night stand.
The dog is howling with excitement, I’m muttering under my breath.
Let’s check all the doors!
All locked.
Ah, we gave the neighbor a spare key.
The neighbor is out.
Okay, I have an idea. My son leaves his windows open on the second floor and I’ve noticed that screen has been loose up there for about year and have been meaning to grab the ladder and fix it. I wonder…
Yup. 5 minutes later I’m in like Flynn. Good news, bad news. Good news is I’m in, bad news is that anyone else could have been in too!
Anyway, the moral of the story is this was a teeny problem — no panic — no stomping — no ranting — and even if I couldn’t get in I could drive 20 minutes and get a key from my wife.
But it does the soul good to adapt, overcome, deal, and figure life out. I know how to solve problems, I’m not helpless, and life will go on despite our small problems. Problems show you that. Embrace them.
