Help!

We are coming down the home stretch of our 10 day tour of a pathway to greater peace in life.  I suspect number nine will hit us guys harder than the ladies, but I’ll leave that to each of you to face in your own life.

  9. Ask for help when you need it.  Life just goes so much better for us when we can swallow our pride and admit we need help now and then.  Something deep within us seems to whisper “failure” in our ears when we cannot do a job alone.  Especially us men.  Here is a recent example of peace-prevention in my own life:

This weekend, I was on day two of assembling the new basketball goal we got for our son.  The instructions clearly indicated that some steps required two capable adults.  (Of course, the instructions failed to indicate that some steps also required having five hands!)  Fine, I swallowed my pride, complied with the directions, and asked my wife to give me a hand, which she gladly did.

After completed the steps that expressly stated a need for two adults, our son was needing some attention, and my wife asked if I minded her going in the house to attend to him.  Sure, go ahead.  I’ve got it.  As it turned out, I really could have used more help, but would not ask for it.  The problem was at least threefold.

1. I didn’t move the goal into place and fill the base with water when instructed to do so, because I thought I had a better plan.  2. I was getting increasingly agitated (as my neighbors in earshot could all testify, much to my shame).  3. I didn’t want to “make the situation worse” by asking my wife for help.

When I walked back outside with a new tool, after storming inside to find it, I found the goal fallen down in the bed of my truck, which I was using as my scaffolding for the project.  Once propped back upright, I immediately recognized the whole thing was glaringly askew.  Not good!  After much consternation, I finally got it back into shape, and moved it over to its final destination.  Even after all that, my wife still just about had to beg me to let her help me with the final step.  I am pleased to report the goal is now standing proudly, with a happy five year old shooting at it every chance he gets.  I really hoped I have learned my lesson from this!  Especially since this particular step toward peace was already on my list of ten BEFORE I began my weekend labor.

I guess the Beatles really knew what they were saying when they sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”