An Examined Life

My laptop was acting up. It wasn’t doing what I needed. Something was wrong. So, I just turned it off, waited a few minutes, then turned it back on, and everything was fine again. Go figure.

On one of my trips to Africa I was in a van with a group of guys heading from one town to the airport in the capital city. We rounded a corner to find a semi trailer diagonal across the road. There’d been a small slide of earth on to the road, and the truck was stuck, wheels spinning in the mud.

The driver’s own solution was to keep putting his foot on the gas, wheels whirring around – the truck going nowhere. Oddly he repeated this ineffective activity over and over again. It might have been amusing to stand and watch as they tried to figure it out, but we had a plane to catch. Lucky for them we were from the land of snow. It took a lot to convince them to do it our way. Gathering sticks and branches we provided the wheels the traction they needed and within a few minutes the truck was unstuck and on its way.

Like the driver of that truck I don’t let go of things easily. My tendency is to focus on the issue assuming that the more time and attention I give it, the more likely I can find a solution. I often feel like I am spinning my wheels – in my mind all the issue needs is more gas.

It pains me to say this, as it seems too simple, but maybe like my laptop, all I really need to do is turn off…and wait a few minutes.