Do You Have a Tool Box?

Do You Have a Tool Box?

Carpenters have tool boxes.  They keep all the tools of their trade inside that box.   There are hammers, squares, levels, nails, screw drivers, plyers.  Without those tools, they would be unable to perform their job.  Those tool boxes full of essentials mean they are prepared.  It would be impossible for them to repair or build without those essential tools.  When a new tool hits the market, they are all over it.  If it makes their job easier, it finds its way into that treasure chest.

Teachers have tool boxes, too.  Unlike a carpenter's tool box, many of the tools a teacher uses are stored in their memory.  Certainly there are books written on all the ways to involve students in the learning process.  Student teaching and teacher observations give them ideas to use when they are the one in charge in a classroom.  Teachers are always searching for creative ways to engage students.  The more tools a teacher has, the better for the students.  Unlike a carpenter who works with objects, a teacher works with questioning, searching,  sometimes difficult humans.  The best teachers know that one set of tools will not work for every class or situation.  They change tools often.

I could name many professions and the tools that are required to perform the job successfully.  Every profession requires a set of tools.  Often people are judged by the way they use the tools of their particular trade.

My question is this.  Do everyday people need a tool box?  Do all of us need tools to navigate through life?  Do we know which tools to use in specific situations?  Or do we use the same tools over and over whether they work or not?

We may not be aware that we are making tool selections everyday, but we are.  Speaking to a child requires a different set of tools from talking with an adult.  Dealing with a co-worker is quite different from dealing with the bank teller.  We reach into our tool box many times during a day.

It is obvious that we speak differently to a grieving person than to a person celebrating a birthday.  We even self talk all day long.  Sometimes we change our minds due to those inner conversations.  We reach into our tool box and make selections based on the need as we see it.  It is a good thing if that tool box is huge and overflowing with ways to meet this world.  We learn the best tools to use by observation, reading, listening, sharing, being quiet and thinking.  We are aware that sometimes we pull the wrong tool out of our box.  At those times we are so happy that the box is not locked.  We are relieved that the top can be opened as many times as is required until we find the right tool for the job at hand.  It is locked only if we decide to lock it.

Could it be possible that we overuse some of the tools we own?  Might we get better results if we selected a different tool?  If we say the same things over and over and believe we are  not heard, maybe it is time to select a different tool.  Maybe it is time to rethink the situation.  If we find ourselves being impatient about the simplest things, could it be that we have lost the ability to be creative?  Can we turn a command into a request?  Could the missing tool be a smile?  Or maybe an apology?  Would it be possible to relearn how to laugh?  When a carpenter misses the nail and hits the finger, it hurts.  When we are cross much of the time, it hurts.  Yes, life can hurt.  But it doesn't have to remain that way.  The carpenter will not make the same mistake.  The lesson has been learned.  We can learn, too.

So, how is your tool box?  Is it full of tools for all the situations in life?  Is love the foundation?  Is forgiveness close at hand?  Is compassion ready at all times?  Do you trust that you have filled your own personal tool box with all the necessary items to ensure a happy life?  Is judgement hard to find in that space?

Have fun digging into that box.  There is always time to add a shiny new tool or to pitch one that never worked in the first place.