#66 pragmatism

As I was walking through the parking lot this weekend, I came upon a man who was sitting on the open tailgate of his car with two huge yellow labs beside him.  Of course I had to stop and greet them all.  I saw that the inside of the tailgate was lined with two thick pet mattresses.  When I remarked that this was quite the comfortable set up for the pooches, he told me that this was the "Dogmobile".  "My wife wanted the grey interior," he said, "but I told her that we were getting the tan one."  He then proceeded to rub his hand along the carpet and came away with a huge glob of lab hair that matched the inside.

Through his pragmatism, this man relieved himself from the worry of dog transport.  Instead of stressing on a daily basis over something that was inevitable, he made accommodations and happily went forward.  

It reminded me of a friend who was stressing over the way her dissertation "should be" done.  I told her that it was like wearing a white pantsuit -- you can, but if you do, you often spend too much time worrying about getting something on it.  I suggested she metaphorically change into grungy shorts and a t-shirt and worry about getting it done vs. wasting time worrying about how she was doing so.

Are there situations in your life where you should let go of the ideal?  Where do you need to create your own version of the Dogmobile to allow you to enjoy more of life?  There are some things that just aren't worth the stress!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
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