Sometimes .. the answers are so close we can’t even see them.
Sometimes … we just have to get out of the way.
Last week, I was wishing I had a niece or friend nearby who loved to wrap – I would have gladly paid anyone to do my wrapping!
Sunday, it hit me: I have a solution. Why didn’t I think of it sooner?
Hubbs is a packaging engineer – he works all day with tape. T-a-p-e. Carton sealing. Medical. Perforated. Water activated. By osmosis, I know more about tape than I’d realized.
So when I started down the wrapping path, I remembered this:
Industrial strength, carton-sealed, done!
OK, so they might not get their presents opened but hey, they’re wrapped!
“The cure for complicated is always simple.”
― Shannon L. Alder, Never or Forever
Had any “aha” moments lately?
And yet to find simple can be so difficult!
True indeed!
MJ
I’ll never get the “Old Spice soap on a rope” opened that you’re giving me!! ;). Too funny. Thanks for the laugh this morning.
R
You’re right – or the 9 pack of tube socks that are shrink wrapped! Cheers ~ MJ
Hee. This ties back to a conversation I was just having with my sister.
My brother and I once lived in a condo atop a hill. Snow is pretty uncommon in our town, so few were much good at driving in it. When it did snow, it was extra icy and horrible where we lived.
We tried driving up the hill but found it more and more terrifying by the second. So we what seemed like the natural thing: We parked on the hill and walked up.
A few yards up our long and winding driveway, we found a lady screaming at a man who was throwing down gravel out of the goodness of his heart. She was shouting that he wasn’t doing it fast enough; he was replying that he wasn’t getting paid for this, but volunteering.
I got where she was coming from, because I’ve been there before: I just need to get up this hill! Unfortunately, when the mind gets locked in that just-one-thing mode, it can be hard to see there’s another just-one-thing that really should be happening.
“Or you could just park and walk up,” I offered in suggestion. The lady stared at me like I was speaking Swahili (which I then spoke very poorly, and now don’t speak at all), then resumed yelling at the poor neighbor.
And now it occurs to me my anecdote is longer than your post. Someday, I will learn succinctness. 😀
“Or you could just park and walk up” – so simple yet so NOT what she wanted to do — for all she could do was to yell!! Great story 🙂
MJ
So I try to stand on the sidelines as I watch the girls growing up and face challenges…I. just.try.to.stay.out.of.it. and mainly listen, be there, answer the phone and make time. Painful to watch at times, but that’s my role. ooo…how I’d love to offer them the “gift” of a solution wrapped up with my own wrapping of experience and bow of wisdom. They have to learn themselves. Mr. Hubbs is a packaging engineer? Love it!
Oh, for sure … “Kids learn more from their own mistakes than they ever do from ours” = my Mom. True that!
The kids call Dad the “tape geek” b/c he can talk tape all day long — he’s fairly passionate about “packaging solutions” 🙂 MJ
Sometimes it’s just fresh eyes. Whenever my husband gets stymied on something he is working on, he has me look at it. Usually I come up with a solution in 10 seconds and I’m not sure if he’s grateful or annoyed that he didn’t think of it.
Yeah, they love that = when we find a quick fix to something they’ve been working on for a time. Funny stuff!! MJ
Hi Mj–so glad you came up with a solution. Hope folks can open them.
By the way, I tried getting to your blog via the link in my inbox, but every time I clicked on it my internet explorer crashed. It might be me, but it hasn’t happened with other blogs this morning. Had to come to my reader to comment. I have no idea if my experience is anything that could affect others, but if you get fewer comments today than usual, you might check it out. I’ve tried to visit your blog 5 or 6 times.
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
I might have to hand out scissors on Christmas morning 🙂
I don’t know what’s up with the link; didn’t have other issues, but then, how would I know? I had the usual suspects here in my comments area 🙂 Thanks for looking out for me, Kathy!
MJ
Hahahahahaa!!!!
hilarious and completely true. Felt rather smart actually!!
MJ
Oh, that’s clever! We call that the “UPS tape” around our shop!
I was done so fast I couldn’t believe it. And it only took me 22 years to think of it 🙂 …. Ah the holidaze!
MJ
Way to use the talents of hubs. We sometimes forget how useful our men can be if we just get out of the way and let them do things in their own style. I love your header picture. Are those some of your ornaments?
Oh he didn’t do anything – he was in the house – but I finally took use of all of his packaging knowledge and put it to work 🙂
Nope, not my picture – a Google image – although I do have some ancient glass ornaments like those!
MJ
You’ll have to take pictures of the family on Christmas fighting to get their packages open .
You know it! MJ
🙂
Cheers!
MJ
Haha! Brilliant. Waiting for my own light bulb moment, as I haven’t been able to train the dog to wrap gifts quite yet 😦
wouldn’t that be something if we could 🙂 MJ
You’re too funny! Your wrapping efforts should make for a memorable holiday! I’m so grateful for my daughter. She’s home from school and happily wrapping gifts as fast as I buy and make them!
couldn’t believe how quickly I was all done 🙂 Enjoy your time with her, I know you are! MJ
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