Old
expression I like: When someone shows you who they are, believe
them.
There
are moments all over the place where it seems we actually do get
a warning, a sign, some type of notice before something happens.
A classic way of phrasing it: We did see it coming.
The
question then shifts. It’s not one of why we had no clue ahead
of time. Instead, why didn’t we see what had been shown.
Stupidity?
Stubborn?
Just
didn’t want to believe it might be true?
If
you’re out walking on a winter day, and the ice under your feet
cracks, you might want to lean into the thought that it isn’t
going to hold you. It’s going to break apart. This is especially
good information to act upon if you happen to be standing on ice
that separates you from a cold bath.
I’ve
been wondering about, well, I suppose the ideas of who and what
you trust.
There
are some people that earn immediate action from me when they speak.
Essentially, when they share information, you can treat it as
accurate and absolute. Then there are others where it’s fun to
listen to the gossip, but the actual story plays out much differently
than the initial waves of details provided by the source.
(And
this is where the cracking ice comes into play.)
Funny
thing about inaccurate information. It’s still information. When
evaluated properly, there’s a lot you can gain by paying attention
to it (even if most of it is way off the mark).
Cracking
ice doesn’t always mean everything is going to fall away with
you plunging into the water. But, the smart actions would be—immediately—to
take actions focused on staying warm and dry. It’s not always
about having all the information, but doing the right thing with
the information you have.
Some
friends and I were talking after doing some work around one of
their houses. We hadn’t gotten as far on the project as we had
hoped. One step, which was supposed to be basic and easy, had
resulted in nine hours of additional efforts. Basically, we started
doing some work that was going to involve adding an electrical
outlet and light to a new shed. What we found was that a string
of work had been set up on the same breaker. Instead of adding
one outlet and a light, we would actually be building on a chain
that already included multiple outlets in multiple rooms (and
as it turned out, on multiple floors).
On
the surface, no issues. But being smart, and checking out the
reality before making changes, immediately showed otherwise. Nothing
had overloaded before. For the homeowner, maybe it was worth taking
a chance and just doing it. Nope. Just because someone else had
done something dumb and nothing bad had happened does not mean
the next person should do something even dumber.
Electrician
friend that hadn’t been with us at the start of the day was consulted.
He came over and joined us. New wiring and new breakers were added.
Additional problems were found near some water sources. (Nice
that the home inspection had found none of this seven years prior.)
Everything was cleaned up and resolved.
The
next morning, after nine hours of unexpected work the day before,
we got together to begin running wires to the shed. Was everything
safe before? Maybe. But the important thing was, everyone felt
better having addressed the issues.
Understand,
I’m simplifying the story. Possibly even oversimplifying it. The
important idea to take from the story isn’t about running wires
around a house. It’s about the ice. (Remember the ice? Symbolism
and figurative concepts. Underlying story.)
When
something reveals to you what it is, you have a decision to make.
And, sometimes, that means actions you were not expecting to take
or issues you were hoping not to encounter. Things going in a
direction you hoped you wouldn’t be moving.
Good
luck with that journey. Make the right decision. (And watch out
for the ice.)