Sometimes, it can be hard to be humbled.
I’ve worked hard over the last few years to be more reflective on my own practice, and to see what I do well, what I don’t, and what I need to look at through a different lens.
In most cases, through this process, and through trial and error, I’ve become a more disciplined leader and learner, and more comfortable being patient and humble. After all, there is much I can’t do yet, and getting to that point takes time.
But, I’m not as easily humbled by a creature like a raccoon or a skunk. And, that’s exactly what has happened over the last two months since the spring began. Every time I’ve put out our garbage to be picked up, some critter invariably makes a mess of it. I’ve tried moving it to a different spot in the street, and I’ve even tried buying locking lid garbage cans.
Nothing makes a difference.
Clearly, I’ve been outsmarted by a different species.
Unfortunately, for me, as I was picking up garbage strewn all over my lawn and cursing under my breath (in fairness, a few curses were loud enough for others to hear), I came to the realization that in this case, it was unlikely that I was going to find a solution that would “beat” the critter. Its life relies on its ability to do whatever it takes to get nourishment. Happily, I don’t have to work quite that hard for food.
So, I simply had to look through a different lens. Instead of putting the garbage out the night before, I’ll simply wake up a few minutes early and take it out in the morning before the sanitation team comes.
The moral? In work or life, we have to understand that we will always be outsmarted, and sometimes by those who, for all intents and purposes, shouldn’t be outsmarting us. But, by coming to grips with the fact that in some cases, that will always happen, we can take a step back, see things a bit differently, and hopefully, not have to spend as much time cleaning things up as we might otherwise.