Ramblin' Cowboy

Today I had a valuable learning experience on my son's Cub Scout hike. We hiked two miles up to a waterfall and two miles back. Each way, we had to cross over a large creek about seven times. We had to pick our own crossing strategy, and faced rocks that were slippery and wobbly. There was a lot of stress involved in trying to cross without falling in. And falling in could have resulted not just in wet clothes, but a landing on very hard rocks.

One of the Cub Scouts, "C," began the day by jumping into the water and splashing around. He proceeded to walk around in the water at each of the crossings. We all thought he was a little nuts to want to get wet in the water. But he had no trouble crossing the creek. In most places the water was only 6-12 inches deep, and he simply walked from one side to the other.

On the way back down the hill I realized that by simply accepting that he was going to get wet, C had freed himself from worrying about jumping from one rock to the next and how to get across without falling in. It didn't matter, since he was willing to get wet, and already was wet. So he did not run the risk of falling off a slippery rock.

Tonight I reviewed David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done," and opened the book to page 12 about internal commitments. I realized that what C had done was to remove the internal commitment the rest of us had accepted -- we had to cross the creek without getting wet. Drop that commitment, and the experience became much more enjoyable.

Finally, if I ever go on that hike again, I will try to take some knee-high wading boots. That way, I can combine C's approach and mine. I can walk through the water, and stay dry as well.

I see now what those internal commitments do to my peace of mind. I am going to try to find more ways to accept that on life's journey, I might get my feet wet.