Some days we think we are doing just fine until we run into a problem that stumps us on so many levels.
For me, it was a ground hog trying to make a home under our front porch one year as winter approached. I first noticed that we had a problem when I saw that something had chewed through the lattice along side our porch steps. So I went to the lumber yard and purchased a fresh sheet of lattice, cut it to the right size and installed it.
The next day I discovered that the “new” lattice was chewed through. Now, I went to the garden center and purchased a variety of repellants in powder and spray form to stop what ever was chewing on our house. I also went back to the lumber yard and purchased more lattice.
This became a recurring problem. More chewing so I applied more repellant. Then, it was purchasing more “new” lattice. Finally, after a couple of cycles, I covered it all in chicken wire.
The next morning I discovered that what ever was chewing on our house had chewed through the chicken wire too. I was flummoxed. So, I found a neighbor with a trap and put it beside the worst part of the damage.
I also started asking people for advice. A farmer recommended I use an anhydrous tank to solve the problem. Someone else said I should use the exhaust from a car to solve the problem. One person suggested I purchase coyote urine or use my own to solve the problem. I wasn’t open to any of these solutions.
Finally, the problem continued so I hired a “critter removal” service. They installed a bigger trap and we caught a squirrel. Next, we caught a skunk but the critter removal service told me that my real problem was a ground hog who was looking for a place to make it’s home for winter.
The spot under our porch must have been the best place. It also must have been a very smart ground hog with a PhD, because we never caught it in the trap. Instead, I went out one morning and discovered a massive hole in the ground.
By now, I was one mad homeowner. I’d had it with this problem and just wanted to finish it “once and for all.” So, I got on my work clothes, a hat, headlamp, dust mask, knee pads, a trash can lid and a pointy stick. Then, I removed all the lattice and chicken wire and crawled under our porch. On one level, I was checking to make sure I did not trap the groundhog under the porch once I made the final repairs. I also think my inner, cave man brain had kicked in and I just wanted to have it out with the beast.
There I was all hunched over under the porch when I began to think again. “What are you doing?”, I asked myself. “This is the dumbest idea you’ve had in quite some time.” Quietly, I crawled out from under the front porch, and then sat on the front porch steps. I needed space for reflection. Previously, I had not given myself permission to take the time to do this.
Slowly, a new solution came to me. First, I had to think like a groundhog. I did not need chicken wire because I wasn’t dealing with a chicken. Instead, I purchased industrial grade hardware cloth and, of course more lattice.
Next, I installed the hardware cloth first, then the new lattice and finally more hardware cloth. I also dug the hardware cloth into the ground one inch deep and out for two feet. It looked great.
The following morning I discover one more big hole. Unbeknownst to me, the ground hog had been asleep under the porch when I had crawled in. Lucky I got out when I did!
As I stood looking at the massive exit hole, another neighbor walked over and saw me staring at the hole. “You want to stop that from happening?”, he asked me.
“Yes”, I replied.
“Drop some old rocks and junk in that tunnel. Then pour in my old bag of powdered concrete. Add a gallon of water. Cover it up with an inch of dirt and in a couple of hours you will have one big massive concrete plug. There is no way they can dig through concrete.” So, I followed his advice and created a large “concrete plug.” I have never had a problem since that day.
On that cool fall day, I learned two important lessons. First, I needed to ask more people for advice. I also need to role model “intellectual humility”, a term Ryan Holiday talks about in his book,. Stillness Is The Key (Portfolio/Penguin, 2019).
The second lesson I learned was that I did not need to rush to a solution. Reflection is a powerful first step to finding a solution. As John Paul Lederach wrote in his book, The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace (Oxford University Press, 2005): “When overwhelmed by complexity,” the haiku master said, “seek the elegant essence that holds it all together.” For me that day, it was a massive concrete plug.
This week I encourage you to schedule more time for reflection, to role model intellectual humility, and to seek the elegant essence that holds it all together.
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