Clean Out the Ravioli

Last night Koke was getting his lunch ready for school. He wanted to use his soup thermos but he couldn't get the lid off of it. He handed it to me and I started to try to turn it.

As I slowly worked the lid loose I was thinking "how long has it been since Koke used this last?" He has eaten the school lunch everyday this week, so it's been at least 5 days. I was starting to get worried about what I would find (and smell) once I got it open.

Just about that time I heard a huge POP! And suddenly my kitchen was a Three's Company rerun. The lid shot off and hit the ceiling. It ricocheted off the counter and hit Toni's glass. The glass rolled off the bar and shattered on the floor. I was frozen watching it all happen. When everything stopped moving there was sauce all over me, sauce on the ceiling, and shattered glass everywhere. It was a mess.

Somehow the change in temperature or the natural fermentation of Chef Boyardee had built up enough pressure that it turned our Wednesday night into a ravioli-fueled New Year's Eve. It was all because Koke hadn't cleaned out his thermos when he should have.

The truth is, that's how it is with our lives, too. The longer we wait to clean out the neglected areas of our lives, the more likely it is that there will be a mess to clean up down the line. Old grudges, bad habits, secret sins can all seem harmless tucked away in our lunch box, but at sometime the lid blows off and we have to deal with the mess.

It's better to do it now, before the pressure puts your whole kitchen at risk!

The Arrow & Bumper Truck

I travel 35 minutes on the Interstate every day for my commute. Because I live in Illinois, I see plenty of construction. But I've noticed a new truck on construction this year. It has an arrow on top and on the back is a long trailer made of plastic. It looks something like this...

I looked up what it was called and the technical term is an "Impact Attenuator." This truck doesn't carry equipment. It doesn't transport workers. It doesn't have sophisticated machines that repairs the road. It doesn't pain the lines.

The entire purpose of this truck is to protect the road construction workers. The arrow alerts motorists to move over and the bumper is designed to absorb the impact if a car is heading for the construction area. Essentially, this truck is designed to be sacrificed to protect those working up the road.

It reminded me of the commitment that we make when we become leaders. We will do everything we can to keep danger away from our kids. We will flash our lights and point our arrows, but ultimately we must place ourselves between dangers and those we lead. Leaders are never insulated from danger. Instead, the best leaders intentionally seek out how to protect those we lead.