A Lesson Learned

This screw has a prominent spot above my desk. When I come across an obstacle in school, my home life, depression or a tragedy, I turn to this screw for comfort. Why you ask. This screw represents overcoming obstacles. Taking an unexpected or unplanned path to reach your goal. I have come across these kinds of hurdles a lot lately, but the story of the screw (and the cork) help me to gain perspective and figure out what I need to do to accomplish a given goal, rather than panicking about how I am going to get there.

We were in Vermont for the weekend, and like we do on many of these trips, we had certain people we wanted to see. One person, who always makes this list, is my friend Corrie. Corrie and I went to church and high school together, and traveled with the venture scouts. Growing up, we were always playing music, making each other laugh or going on trips around the country and beyond. One night while in Montpelier, Amy and I went to visit Corrie. She was housesitting. Like any good house guest, we brought over a bottle of wine and some cheese to enjoy as we spent the evening catching up. As we went to open the wine, we realized that it was not a screw top, and a cork screw was required. Because we were in someone else’s home, we did not have the capacity to just open a drawer and whip one out like Racheal Ray or The Barefoot Contessa. We searched high and low for a corkscrew with no avail. We finally gave up on the search, but desperate to break into the bottle, we began trying other avenues. Corrie widened the hunt and began opening cabinets and closets. We ended up with a toolbox. I couldn’t tell you everything we tried that night, but in true Wilcox-Webb style, we were not going to give up. We ended up with a screwdriver and a screw. Together, Corrie, Amy and I took turns. One would hold the bottom of the bottle, another would hold the top, while the third person applied muscle, wrist power and sheer determination to maneuver the screwdriver. All this while laughing our asses off.

Struggling to breathe from laughter, and with tired arms, our determination and persistence finally paid off…about half an hour later. We were finally able to enjoy the fruits of our labor, and we had a new hilarious story to add to our memory banks of times together. The biggest thing I learned that night? You can achieve anything as long as you have a little persistence, patience and the ability to laugh at yourself. The path may not go the way you expected, but no matter the hurdle, the goal is always achievable.