What Do You Think? Wednesday

About two months ago my husband bought us a new set of knives. I was so thankful that I would finally have the tool I needed to open up those young coconuts that I had recently incorporated into my food regime. Before I got the proper knife, a Santoku, I used a regular kitchen blade that required me to hack a coconut several times, splattering its woody shavings all around my kitchen. After draining stray shavings from the water and removing shreds from the meat, I was finally able to use the coconut water and its meat in a variety of drinks and meals. I hated the mess that the wrong tool caused; the damage was totally avoidable, thus unnecessary. The wrong tool—person, method, message, or any wrong instrument used to get a job done can cause a great big mess like using a blade instead of a Santoku when opening up a young coconut. With the wrong tool, we can leave a friendship hanging in the balance, damage a professional rapport, nullify a winning project and close the ears of those who need to hear from us.

At times we, recovering strong black women, in an effort to keep up pace, might in haste use the wrong tool to get a job done. We may speak harshly when correcting the children, huff to convey frustration with a co-worker, roll our eyes in anger at the husband, take back a task assigned to a worker or yell at a slow driver. Of course these are just some examples of wrong tools used to inflame and bring great damage to those receiving your tool. Undoubtedly cleaning up a coconut and then using it is less of a problem than damaging people and having to deal with them in the tool shattering aftermath. We must consider AND use the proper tool to bring about the best outcome. Choose your tools wisely so you don’t make and have to clean up an avoidable mess.

What tools have you used that have caused unintended and avoidable damage? What tools do you know you need to use instead of those you’ve used in haste? Please, let me know what you think.