Another Life Lesson

     Often, we are guilty of bypassing a chore or something that needs doing.  We justify our actions as, “It isn’t my job.”  I know I’ve been guilty of it.  Actually, the translation of “It is not my job,” actually is, “I don’t want to do the work”.  It might seem unfair to “do somebody else’s work” but really, it is only as hard as we make it.  If something needs doing, unless otherwise instructed… we should do it ourselves.  I believe that if most people followed this rule of initiative, we could avoid unnecessary hassle in our lives.  

     On this particular Sunday morning, my family and I were getting ready for church.  Normally, I don’t eat breakfast, but opt for a mug of tea and the occasional piece of fruit instead: just something quick so I can help load our vehicle up and cut down on the time and the dirty dishes.

     That morning, I chose a thin traveling mug, it was a soft brown color that reminded me of milk chocolate.  My mom had just made some cold tea recently so I poured myself some.  I also have a slight complex about having cream or milk in my tea, I almost always drink some with my tea, it just makes the tea taste smoother.

     Tea and milk is actually one of my favorite drinks so I was looking forward to the one hour drive to church.  I was going to drink my tea and read a book that I had brought with me.  I started loading stuff so we could leave sooner and not be late (we ended up being late anyway).  I carried my things out to the car and as we all left the house, I retrieved my drink and climbed in the back seat.

     I was just about to set my traveling mug in the cup holder when I looked down and saw that the cup holder was full of tissue and dirty napkins (no doubt left by the last occupant, of which, I will be nice and not name names here).  I was disgusted and of course I sure didn’t want to touch it.  I knew I should probably scoop it out anyway and put it in a trash bag that we kept in the vehicle for just such occasions.  But I didn’t.

     Somehow, the thought of cleaning up someone else’s mess that morning irked me.  After all, it was only fair that the person who left the mess should be the one to clean it up.  It wasn’t my job.

     So instead I set my mug on top and pressed it down, wiggling it just so.  The tissue and napkins compressed and allowed enough room, approximately and inch or two, for my drink.  I knew it probably wouldn’t hold if we encountered some rough road or an exceptionally large pothole, nevertheless, I reasoned I could get by with it.

     We were probably ten or twenty minutes into our trip when my dad hit a pothole.  I had just situated myself comfortably when out of the corner of my eye, and to my horror, the traveling mug next to me went flying and landed upside down in my seat.  I scrambled to catch the mug (too late for that) and hurried to turn it right side up again.  Some tea had splashed on my skirt, the skirt that was a beautiful light khaki color.  That was the least of my concerns and far from my last.  I tried to inconspicuously call for a napkin while my youngest sister looked at the situation with wide eyes.  She looked on the verge of laughter but her concern overrode that and she took up my call for a napkin.

     Our seats are upholstered in leather so they were not going to soak up the liquid that gathered in a puddle around me.  As I was waited for the napkin, I became very aware of the icy cold beverage soaking in beneath me.  It was cold!  I pressed my toes against the floor to sit in an imaginary seat inches above the small puddle of cold tea and milk, most of it had already soak into my skirt.

    My little sister, Robyn, handed me the napkin that had been passed from the front.  The rest of the occupants in the vehicle were obviously unaware of my situation because only one lone little napkin had been slipped back to me.  Of course I didn’t want to raise their suspicion by calling for another.

    I wiped up what I could, not too much had been left due to the fact that it had already soaked into my skirt.  I twisted my skirt so that the wet part was now sitting on my lap.  Next, I reached for the control of the air conditioner and pointed it in my direction.  Try being wet and having cold air being blown on you… not a comfortable ride.

     As we neared church, my skirt was pretty much dry.  Unfortunately, I quickly found out that I, during the moment of chaos, had overlooked one detail.  The detail was checking the floor.  I have a habit of taking my shoes off on long trips so my feet don’t sweat.  One sandal had escaped the flood of tea and milk, the other was not so fortunate.

     I had no extra footwear so I had to dry my sandal with a napkin the best I could.  It didn’t do much, my sandal was still damp and worse of all… it was sticky.  As much as I could have blamed it on the napkin and tissue that had hindered a secure place for my travel mug, I knew it was just as much my fault.

     If I had taken the few seconds to scoop out the trash, I would have avoided the whole spill and the mess afterward.  As it was, I wrote it down as a lesson well learned.  I exited the vehicle, a slight (not watermark, but tea mark) printed on my skirt.  One sandal a shade darker than the other as it was damp, and a humbled expression upon my face.

     I learned the lesson the hard way, unfortunately, but it is a lesson best learned sooner than later.  The situation as it was was not a serious one: no one suffered but myself and my damaged appearance.  However, I couldn’t help but wonder “What if I had taken that attitude in a situation that called for a certain job to be done in order to evade a more serious situation?”  Even though no one else might have noticed it, God brings things to our attention for a reason.

     Next time, when you feel tempted to brush something off as “not your job”, think carefully.  Is it a job that hinders progress until done?  Will it harm someone if left undone?  Will it cause discontention and disruption of harmony in your family’s household, place of business, etc.?  Don’t look at it as “not your job” or someone else’s responsibility, look at it as a job that needs doing and then do it.