Imperfect Stories

A man walked out of of his house one morning to pick up the paper. He was startled to find that several trash bags had been piled in his front yard overnight, many more than the city would accept. This was during a period in which trash had gotten considerably out of hand. Citizens were not allowed to use the landfill and strict restrictions had been placed on weekly disposal. Understanding this, the man decided to call his neighbor and see if he might be willing to help. So the man walked back into his house to make the call. To his delight, there was already a message on the answering machine. It was from his neighbor inviting him over for breakfast.

The man was elated and believed this to be a great sign. He would discuss the matter of the bags over the morning coffee. He quickly left the house, slung two bags on either shoulder and started down the street toward the home of his friend who was waiting for him on the porch. But as the man approached the house, he recognized a similar sight. The neighbor's yard was likewise strewn with bags of trash, many more than the city would accept. Embarrassed now by his presumption, the man hurried back home, dropped the four bags onto his own yard and then proceeded once again to the home of his friend. Once the two men got over the awkwardness of the moment, they were able to enjoy a wonderful breakfast.

What an imperfect story, huh? Even writing it was painful. We like our stories resolved. We like to see clear solutions to problems... reliable ways to get rid of the trash in our lives. But sometimes the path is not clear--or at least not yet clear. Sometimes we have to wait. We have to live with those bags a little longer than we would like.

There is not a lot we can do to speed things up at the landfill. But there are things we can focus on in the meantime. If the trash is piling up but really no place for it to go--at least in the short run, why not turn our attention elsewhere? Sure, we might want to get those bags out of the front yard--maybe pile them next to the house or in the garage or something. But then, why not spend some time and energy elsewhere? Maybe we could write an ole fashion letter to a friend or paint the bonus room with the kids. Maybe we could have breakfast with a neighbor and then the two of us can work on the problem together. It might not get solved right away but we will have at least enjoyed the moment.