Solving the Problem

I was helping my mom clear some flower beds for the winter, primarily pulling the zinnias. It didn’t sound like a big job, but it ended up being a bit more challenging than expected. Part of the delay might have been the cheerful tagalong granddaughter full of energy and curiosity. We piled the dead flowers onto a tarp then dragged them down the hill to dump in the ditch. Back up the hill we went, and we started to fill the tarp again. It seemed silly to me to make two more trips, so I added to the growing pile…until I realized it was going to be tricky to get it to the ditch nearly 100 yards away. But maybe…

We searched for a rope and found my old pink horse lead. It didn’t quite run through the grommets, but I was able to hook a couple of them. I thought I could hang onto the lead and drive the ATV slowly to the ditch. I creeped forward, then had a moment of “this isn’t going to work,” hit the gas instead of the brake, and sent pink fluff flying because the lead was falling apart from the years of decay. We regrouped and searched for a chain. That didn’t quite work either, and we ended up snapping the pink lead in half during the attempt. Maybe I’d just pull the tarp by myself after all. But after moving it about 5 feet, I thought one more attempt would be worth it. 

My mom got on the ATV, and I sat on the back and hung onto what was left of the pink lead. Mom inched forward, and as I felt the weight of the line, I wasn’t sure it was going to work. To avoid being pulled off and landing in the grass, I leaned backward against my mom. She took it slow and, probably because much of the ride was a slight decline, we made it. 

I don’t think we saved much time, but it was fun nonetheless. It’s often more about the ride than the result. We might have lost an old pink lead in the process, but we made a fun memory and got the work done.

As you face problems today, be creative, be persistent, and be memorable.