Being prepared
Success favors the prepared. And this is true without a doubt. There are areas of my life where I am ahead of the game. Proactive. Ready to weather any storm out. And there are areas where I am woefully behind.
The snowstorm in Toronto a few days back that dumped over 40 cms of snow showed how unprepared I was for it. We have a snowblower and it was serviced last in November. But when I tried, it would not start. In spite of several attempts. I could have tried out over the previous weekend to make sure it was working when the weather was much better, but again I put it off as usual. Stike #1.
Even if it did start, one of my three cars was stuck and dead on the driveway from a drained-out battery. The pandemic has shown that the need for three cars is low, but we are hanging on to them in the hope that the use of it will come back. And the concept of selling them off at a loss could lead to spending more money, in the long run, if we are forced to buy again. The snowblower could not come out with this failed car. So, strike #2 for lack of proactiveness.
And then again the even bigger life problem. My wife and daughter would not let me shovel snow. One of the drawbacks of bypass surgery is being asked not to shovel due to the combined effort of the arteries narrowing from the cold coupled with the stress on the heart from the shoveling. So, the patriarchy’s ego was woefully hurt seeing the women of the house battle through the snow. I love my women to death, but it is heart-wrenching to watch from the sidelines. But little I could do. Strike #3.
Perhaps I have to downsize in the long run to a type of house that will not need shoveling at all or things like mowing the lawn. That might solve the problem differently, but then again, am I ready for it? That is the big question that life throws at you. And there are sometimes no easy or ready answers.
Success indeed favors the prepared. Whatever “prepared” is, in one’s context.