Life is never dull.
Yesterday my brother needed to drop some things off at Baby Be Hip, which we planned to store against the back wall of our building. He texted me and asked if he could drive around the back, on the grass, to pull up to the rear door to unload. I quickly texted back “No”, as my gut reaction was that it was a bad idea. For starters, it isn’t my building.
I get why he asked, though; he, like me, is an entrepreneur who doesn’t like to waste time. Then I saw just how full his car was and, realizing I had to help him carry the stuff, I relented and said “Ok, sure, you can drive around the back, Frank.”
We unloaded his car and he climbed in to move it. It’s been a wet winter, however, and the ground was really soft and muddy. Of course, we didn’t think about that when we decided to take our shortcut. Sure enough, the car was stuck. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the car out, we decided to call AAA and get help. Soon a tow truck came to rescue us. He pulled up about ten feet away from my brother’s car… and gets stuck. Yep, now both the car and the tow truck are trapped in the mud. You couldn’t make it up if you tried.
After a few hours of trying to get out—with digging, pushing, cardboard, enlisting help from the neighbors, etc.—we were covered (yes, covered) in mud. We finally had to leave the car for the night so we could return and deal with it in the morning. Well, rather, I would deal with it in the morning as my brother needed to head out of town.
Little did I know that after we left another truck got stuck trying to retrieve the first stuck truck (say that ten times fast) and the police made an appearance. And here I am 24 hours later still trying to get out of this mess (literally and figuratively). The things I’ve learned over the last 24 hours:
- Never, ever drive over grass. It’s not worth it.
- Haste makes waste. If we had just walked with the stuff it would have taken us just a few extra minutes. Instead we spent hours and took a mud bath.
- Always be resourceful and ask for others to help figure out the best solution.
- People are incredibly helpful when you are in a difficult position.
- Be honest and upfront with the situation at hand. We totally acknowledged we were idiots (mostly my brother, but me as well for saying yes when I should have said no).
- It’s always easier to laugh at the situation then cry.
- Learn the lesson. There is a lesson in everything.
- Trust your gut, trust your gut, trust your gut!
My initial gut reaction was No, and if I had just stuck with it I wouldn’t be in the mess I’m in. Of course, my brother has since moved on and I’m the one dealing with the situation (he owes me BIG time). But as with all things in this rollercoaster ride of life, there are lessons to be learned from it all. And in all seriousness, this is a minor problem or inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.
And finally, some good news! We are all clear and out of the mud thanks to Paul from Horsham Towing for being my miracle worker. It takes a village!
