Healthy Living DIY

I firmly believe there is almost always something to learn. So even after numerous stops to clear heavy, wet snow and ice chunks out of the blower, an unplanned walk to the corner gas station for extra fuel, breaking a shear pin (replaced it with the last one I had), and several adjustments to the "other" belt (there are two; someone had just secured the first one for me, and now the other one kept coming off) ... I was cautiously optimistic that the snow removal effort "round 1" was drawing to a close.

That is, until the arrival of a certain rock.

You know, those decorative rocks that you put at the side of the driveway to increase drainage and make things look real pretty in the summer? That kind of rock. It got stuck in the blower mechanism.

Now I knew right away that something was wrong and shut off the blower. Couldn't afford to break another shear pin before the replacements I'd ordered had arrived. (It's "spring" now and they're a special order out of season.) Found the rock and saw it was going to be a project to extract. So I drove my blower back into the garage and turned a heater on it, hoping that it was a simple matter of the rock being wedged into place against some ice.

Nope.

So I tried to whack it downward and out of the mechanism. Experimented with various hammers, pieces of rebar, screwdrivers, a splitting wedge, and even an extra-long blade sharpener. Took a break and came back to it with fresh eyes. Still, the rock would not budge.

Now here's the thing. The driveway wasn't clear yet and there was more snow on the way. I had to get it out!

Time for some positive thinking. I affirmed, "I am a resourceful person and I will figure this out!" Then, I settled down to calmly study the situation carefully. As I did, I noticed that the rock had a wider section and a narrower section. If I could just get a smaller hammer in behind the narrower section, I reasoned, perhaps it would move.

Space was tight, but I wiggled in and gave it a little tap. Was it my imagination? Nope, I think the rock moved. Tapped again and it was out. Just like that. No big deal at all. Huh!

So my lessons from the snowblower were these:

1. Stay resourceful.
2. Study the situation carefully, because if you're very specific, there may be an easier solution available than you think.

Well, I guess you can imagine I am looking around my life for other places to apply this wisdom. How about you? Is there any place you're feeling "stuck" (pun intended). Leave a comment to let me know how this strategy works for you!