Have you ever noticed how most small and simple tasks are taken completely for granted until the very moment one of those tasks decides to take you to task?   I’ll give an example...early last night–like 2am early–I went to plug in my phone after rescuing my consciousness from a YouTube rabbit hole that started with Seth Meyers, then Steven Colbert, SNL, and countless recommended videos good for the occasional laugh.  Little did I know the last laugh would be on me.

When was the last time you engaged in an actual thought process while plugging your phone in to charge?  It’s a measly two second task that’s such second hand nature, it hardly qualifies for space on a mental checklist.

My room was dark, save for the dullest glow from the hall light, so as to conserve a little energy–yes, even though I drive a car, live in a sizable house, and eat meat, a part of me might be trying to save the planet, one light bulb at a time–so I go to plug my phone into its charger in the darkness of my world-saving room and the charging end won’t engage with my phone.  I try several times because I’m tired and figure maybe my coordination is sleepy as well...

Nothing.

I turn on the light, hoping for a quick solution–sorry, planet earth–and with my weary eyes, notice there appears to be something lodged in my phone’s portal.  Is that a piece of bark?!

My entire day flashes through my mind.  Ah, yes!  When I’d gone on my walk, I stuck my phone in my jacket pocket.  It was the very same jacket I’d worn carrying firewood up to the porch a few weeks ago.  If I had been paying closer attention, I might have checked the pocket before shoving my phone into it!

But how often do we focus on our lives with that degree of attention?

In a perfect world, we would pay equal attention to every task and avert most issues entirely.  But, life is an imperfect work-in-progress and as such, problems are guaranteed. 

Determined to deal with this problem, I go upstairs and fish a fork out of its drawer.  I discover quickly that this isn’t even a remotely logical idea.  I consider using a steak knife but visions of my mangled hand and terrified parents, waiting in the emergency room, dance through my head and– with amazing speed for a dude with cerebral palsy–I abandon the knife idea.  Then, I latch onto the concept of using a toothpick, which, to my chagrin, just pushes the bark further down into the portal, proving once again the old adage that things sometimes get worse before they get better.  

The poet and New Agey part of me dances with that thread for a moment, exploring how this is all just a brilliant metaphor.  Where in my life, am I blocking myself from the happiness and joy I deserve?  The other part of my mind is in panic mode!  I want to plug my phone in!  It’s tradition, I do it every night.  I NEED MY PHONE TO WORK!  

Do you ever have those ALL CAPS moments where you feel like you need something to happen this instant, that just isn’t happening?  

While I hold my slowly suffocating iPhone helplessly in my hands, my mind pulls another magic thought from its hat.  Is my phone backed up properly?  Navigating the embarrassment of watching a Verizon Dealer attempt to tweeze a piece of bark out of my phone while shooting me frustrated glances would be bad enough but what if I’ve damaged the portal beyond repair?  I think everything is safe and secure on the Cloud, but WHAT IF it’s not?  I’m a recovering obsessive worrier and this is the moment my recovery jumped ship and WHAT IF took the wheel.  WHAT IF Verizon doesn’t have the right tools for the job?  WHAT IF I’m the first dumbass who’s ever gotten bark lodged in his phone this deeply?  WHAT IF they can’t recover my phone because of the plugged up portal and ALL is lost?

Suddenly, I remember I have another tool in my mid-night “toolbox”.  My fingernail clippers!  I flip its file out, fully aware that I may feel like an utter IDIOT come morning if this goes awry.  But on the slim chance I pull this off I’ll crown myself a mechanical genius.  Yes, my bar for declaring myself a mechanical genius is very low.   So I start poking and prodding and tiny splinters of wood start falling out.  This encourages me.  Finally I see a way to grab hold off a big piece–I grab that stubborn bark bull by its horns–and like magic it comes out. 

I run over and try my plug again–the screen lights up, reading “58% charged”–I fixed it!  I fixed it!

Life challenges us in ways small and large.  We respond with what we have to offer at the moment.  Sometimes, things get stuck where they’re not supposed to.  With a little persistence, sometimes we can get them unstuck.