Me, Stop and Ask for Help?
"David, are you sure you don't need my help? I won't be gone long, and I can help you when I get back."
"No, I'll be fine. It's not that big of a brush pile."
"But, you never know what can happen. Why don't you wait and burn it when I get back?"
"I have the permit. It just rained yesterday. The hose is set. I have an extra bucket of water, and I have a couple of shovels. I'm sure everything will be OK."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It'll be fine."
(You probably know where this is going.)
My wife, daughters, and I live in a relatively rural area where we collect quite a bit of brush each year. We also have space to have small burn piles as long as we have an annual fire permit as issued by our township.
I have a tendency to want to handle things by myself, be efficient, and just get things done. I suppose this makes me more of a stereotypical "guy" than not, but I've always prided myself on being able to handle pretty much anything that comes my way. This is not to say that I'm opposed to stopping to ask for directions every once in awhile. I'm just glad that with cell phones and GPS units, this isn't as necessary as it was a few years ago. :)
Let's pick up this same conversation about 2 hours after it started. I've color-coded the dialogue so you can better understand when my wife is talking and I am talking.
"Oh my gosh. Honey, what happened?"
"Nothing. It's fine."
"David, your forehead is bright red and burned. It looks like a tomato! What happened to your eyebrows?"
"The fire just got a little bigger than I planned. The fire is out, but I'm fine."
"No it's not fine! Look at your face in the mirror."
"It's just a little red. It's fine."
"David, you have blisters on your forehead. Doesn't it hurt?"
"Just a little. I'll be fine."
"You'd better get to the emergency room. You could be scarred."
"I'll be fine. Let me go wash it in the sink."
....a rather long and humbling pause...
"Hey, Kim?"
"Everything OK?"
"Uhmmm... This really hurts. It's starting to peel. What do you think?"
"I think you should have waited for me to help with that dumb brush pile."
"I know. I guess I just wasn't thinking."
"I'll say. You need to get to the doctor."
"Isn't there an Urgent Care in town?"
For the next week I wore a 4 inch bandage wrapped around my forehead and had to keep everything extra-clean. Fortunately, the doctor prescribed special cream (a miracle cure) that helped with the pain and any permanent scarring. I just wish the prescription could have helped heal my pride!
So why would I retell this story? It's been several years since it happened, and I can laugh about it now. I made a stupid mistake, and I paid the consequences. Most of all, I'm glad it was really just my pride that got hurt. As an elementary principal, I get to work with students who make mistakes. Some mistakes are worse than others, but fortunately most of them can be seen as learning opportunities. My fire incident has helped me listen to the warnings of others more and ask for help. I'm not perfect. I still make mistakes. I'm a work in progress, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction! I'm hopeful my students learn the same. It's OK to ask for help and curcial to heed the warnings of others!
(Also, I really hope I'm not the only person who has done some silly things in his past.)
Many thanks to the 2nd grade students in Mrs. Long's class who helped me edit this piece. Their feedback was invaluable! Plus, they laughed with me.
"No, I'll be fine. It's not that big of a brush pile."
"But, you never know what can happen. Why don't you wait and burn it when I get back?"
"I have the permit. It just rained yesterday. The hose is set. I have an extra bucket of water, and I have a couple of shovels. I'm sure everything will be OK."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It'll be fine."
(You probably know where this is going.)
My wife, daughters, and I live in a relatively rural area where we collect quite a bit of brush each year. We also have space to have small burn piles as long as we have an annual fire permit as issued by our township.
I have a tendency to want to handle things by myself, be efficient, and just get things done. I suppose this makes me more of a stereotypical "guy" than not, but I've always prided myself on being able to handle pretty much anything that comes my way. This is not to say that I'm opposed to stopping to ask for directions every once in awhile. I'm just glad that with cell phones and GPS units, this isn't as necessary as it was a few years ago. :)
Let's pick up this same conversation about 2 hours after it started. I've color-coded the dialogue so you can better understand when my wife is talking and I am talking.
"Oh my gosh. Honey, what happened?"
"Nothing. It's fine."
"David, your forehead is bright red and burned. It looks like a tomato! What happened to your eyebrows?"
"The fire just got a little bigger than I planned. The fire is out, but I'm fine."
"No it's not fine! Look at your face in the mirror."
"It's just a little red. It's fine."
"David, you have blisters on your forehead. Doesn't it hurt?"
"Just a little. I'll be fine."
"You'd better get to the emergency room. You could be scarred."
"I'll be fine. Let me go wash it in the sink."
....a rather long and humbling pause...
"Hey, Kim?"
"Everything OK?"
"Uhmmm... This really hurts. It's starting to peel. What do you think?"
"I think you should have waited for me to help with that dumb brush pile."
"I know. I guess I just wasn't thinking."
"I'll say. You need to get to the doctor."
"Isn't there an Urgent Care in town?"
For the next week I wore a 4 inch bandage wrapped around my forehead and had to keep everything extra-clean. Fortunately, the doctor prescribed special cream (a miracle cure) that helped with the pain and any permanent scarring. I just wish the prescription could have helped heal my pride!
So why would I retell this story? It's been several years since it happened, and I can laugh about it now. I made a stupid mistake, and I paid the consequences. Most of all, I'm glad it was really just my pride that got hurt. As an elementary principal, I get to work with students who make mistakes. Some mistakes are worse than others, but fortunately most of them can be seen as learning opportunities. My fire incident has helped me listen to the warnings of others more and ask for help. I'm not perfect. I still make mistakes. I'm a work in progress, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction! I'm hopeful my students learn the same. It's OK to ask for help and curcial to heed the warnings of others!
(Also, I really hope I'm not the only person who has done some silly things in his past.)
Many thanks to the 2nd grade students in Mrs. Long's class who helped me edit this piece. Their feedback was invaluable! Plus, they laughed with me.
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