Life

How to Remove Water from a Puddle | Improve Your Life | Redneck Wisdom

I recently wrote an article about how to get around a puddle, but sometimes you just want to remove the water.  How do you remove water from a puddle?   I’ll give you a second to think about it…

Just grab a bucket and start filling it up and pouring the water elsewhere, right?  WRONG!

Too often we focus the water itself as the problem.  This focus makes us look at the water over and over.  All we can see is the water.

Most of us will run to the garage and grab a bucket or some other device to start scooping out the water.  We continue to scoop and scoop and scoop.  We work hard at getting rid of that water and eventually we get most or all of the water out of the puddle only to find that we have a hole left.  Sometimes that hole is bigger than it was before!  THEN, all of the sudden it starts to rain!  Next thing you know you have another puddle that is likely bigger than it was before!

So, was removing the water the long-term answer?  NO!  Then how do you remove water from a puddle?

The answer is simple – just fill up the hole with something other than the water!  If you have a dirt puddle, add more dirt!  Have a puddle in your driveway, add more cement to make concrete!

I have to thank Rich for this wisdom.  Rich was one of the field maintenance guys at my high school when I played baseball.  One day it rained and stopped and we were still going to try to have practice.  We had a puddle at home plate where we stand to bat.  Rich showed up with a couple buckets of dirt and poured them into the puddle.  The dirt quickly dispersed and soaked up the water.  Rich continued to add dirt until the hole was filled and the water was gone.

You can use this same wisdom with other areas of your life.  Too often we focus on removing something from our life without having a clue what we’re going to replace it with.  For example, if you want to stop smoking, a habit you’ve formed for years, you need to have something that replaces that habit.  It could be taking a walk, lifting weights, eating carrots, chewing gum, or a more healthy habit.

Want to lose weight?  You need to fill up your hole (eating poorly and not exercising), with good foods and exercise.  Don’t think of removing fat and carbs from your diet, focus on eating more fruits and vegetables and lean meat.  Fill up your belly with the good stuff and there’s no room for the bad stuff.

Want to remove anger from yourself or someone you know, fill up their anger with love.

If you’re looking to improve your life, look for ways to fill the bad areas (puddles) with good stuff (soil)!

Want more on this topic, click on the image of “How Full Is Your Bucket?” above.