Spinning Our Wheels

Fresh snow fell during the night, and I was awakened by the sound of a roaring motor on the street near my window. I could hear the whine of spinning wheels, and I knew someone was stuck in the ice and snow. There were only a few inches of snow, not enough to severely "high center" a vehicle, so I decided the person didn't know how to drive in snow or was just too impatient to apply what he/she knew.

Easy does it when you're trying to get unstuck from snow. You have to resist the temptation to give it the gas and try to blast your way through; the hot, spinning tires just make the snow more icy and slippery. Keeping the wheels straight and moving back and forth, back and forth, even just a few inches at a time, usually builds up enough momentum that eventually you can drive out on the snow-packed runway you've created.

How often in life, when things aren't going well, we give in to the desperate feeling that if we just try harder, try harder, try harder something will happen. But sometimes we are only spinning our wheels. We are not making headway by simply repeating what we have already been doing, except with greater intensity. Especially if our attempts to get "unstuck" involve personal encounters, the others involved are likely to feel our impatience, frustration, and anger. They might even think it is directed at them, burying us still further in the troubling situation.

Easy does it. Gently move forward a tiny bit at a time. When you meet resistance but before you start "spinning your wheels," back up just a little, then try moving forward again slowly. Whether you're snowed in by snow or snowed under by the things and people you're dealing with, spinning your wheels only makes thing worse. Getting unstuck is an exercise in wisdom and restraint.

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/