Impossible Land Rover Fix
Phineas struggled with the heavy 5-gallon bucket full of bolts, nuts, screws, and nails. As he set it down he grunted, “You should find what you’re looking for in here.”
The mass of rusted treasures was an accumulation from generations of handymen back to the beginning of this 200-year-old African farm.
Tipping the bucket, he exposed fistfuls of options. Sure enough, there it was about a third of the way down. The tiny lock washer needed to repair my aging Land Rover.
Today, as I pulled a shiny custom bolt from the dirt, I remembered that bucket. ‘Should I keep this odd bolt? Maybe someday I’ll be able to…’ Well, you know the drill.
Life’s Accumulation of Parts
Luckily, we don’t need to dig through a bucket to remember our life’s experiences. They’re all jumbled inside us ready for instant recall. Yet, there is something more, isn’t there.
A person’s life is not just spare part experiences, but a living breathing creation. Adding active parts to build the edifice of a life well lived.
A life personal to how we use its opportunities and challenges to create, repair, remodel, or even destroy and start life anew. We must continually move forward with gratitude towards accumulating such a marvelous handiwork, no matter the struggle.
Now I have the advantage of being old, fortunately not quite as ancient as that old farm. Still, I can see how all has come together, one precious seemingly insignificant part at a time, some useful some not. Yet, each is necessary to form a glorious life event, bench mark, or season.
Just like the farmer could see his accumulation creating an efficient, historic farm. So can we build something precious of our lives one part or experience at a time.
That said, don’t forget that bucket of used parts. At critical junctures, many experiences in that bucket will fit just right.
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. ~ Helen Keller
Enjoy the day and do some good!
Russ Harris loves all things technical and making the world a better place, especially for Margrit.
