When a problem comes up.
After two years of waking up to dirt and walking on sheets of plywood to keep the mud off of our shoes, the walkway and steps are finally going in this morning. I’m so excited.
The crew, to a man, is really easy to work with. It’s like they have telepathy or something. The crew chief doesn’t yell or swear or order the guys around. They smile and laugh easily with each other. Watching them work is pretty much like watching a clock tick. Everyone has their part to do and they just do it.
The forming of the steps was finished on Saturday while I was gone to town, I got home late, after dark, and didn’t go out to look. Sunday morning my brother in law, who was staying the weekend, said, “I have a question for you. Why is the bottom step so different than the rest?” I looked and sure enough, I realized that where I wanted the bottom step to start didn’t fit with the rest of the steps. So this morning, bright and early, right before the concrete truck was supposed to arrive, I asked the guys to change that bottom step.
Changing the bottom step was “no problem”. The crew chief told the guys that the concrete truck was on the way, “Don’t rush, make it right, we’ll get it done in time.”
The step is changed and it’s perfect. The truck was running a little late so changing the step didn’t change the pour schedule. Isn’t it incredible how things work out?
Whether we create a problem for ourselves or someone brings it to us, I believe that we have three choices at any given moment in this life. Change it, accept it, or separate ourself from the situation. No matter the obstacles, no matter what the problem is, everything works out just like it’s supposed to in the end. Concrete is pretty permanent so I didn’t want to accept that funky step even though it was me who made it funky. I expect to live here for a very long time, so separation from the problem wasn’t the answer. Changing it was the right thing to do and the easiest for this particular problem.
Bye for now, I’m going to go get a cup of coffee and watch the steps take shape. I love this stuff!
