Facing the Gust

Barb and I went to visit friends on Saturday. It was a dinner party with lots of high school pals we had recently seen at our reunion. It’s always fun to get out on a date with my wife. Turns out our trip to other side of Puget Sound came in the midst of a storm. When we started it was raining hard straight down. By the time we got to the other side it was raining hard horizontally.

I had brought along our umbrella. This one happened to be a double reinforced golf umbrella “guaranteed” to withstand big gusts. This was going to be its toughest test!

As we emerged from the ferry, I extended the umbrella out against the force of the wind. I felt like Captain America and his shield as I held on to the umbrella with both hands to keep it extended. We made it down through the terminal and went outside to meet our friend who was picking us up on the other end. As we walked a distance of about 10 feet, Barb and I got drenched. Luckily for me, our hostess was kind enough to offer to let me borrow some sweats so she could put my sopping jeans in the dryer.

No matter what type of “shield” you carry with you to protect yourself from calamity, sometimes the momentum and strength of the force still gets through and causes “damage.” You have a of couple options. You can sit around and mope in wet jeans and complain to people who aren’t interested in hearing about your problems. Or you can find a way to throw those jeans in the dryer and move forward with a positive attitude, a solution, and a smile. You’ve run into those negative nellies in your professional and personal life and they need to be discarded or devalued. Spend your time and effort with those that are willing to help you get your jeans “dry” and find a solution. Better yet – be that person for others!

© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

This week’s quote –
“The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”
– David Russell