Ask Before You Start Shoveling

Many years ago, my neighbor watched me do a very dumb thing.

She waited four hours before pointing it out.

Her name was Marie, and she enjoyed busting my chops.

I was building a garden bed. I borrowed her truck, filled it with a yard of soil and shoveled all the dirt onto my driveway.

Then I shoveled it into a wheelbarrow, pushed it across the yard and dumped it into the bed.

When I finally finished, exhausted, Marie said:

“Tom, why didn’t you shovel it directly from the truck into the wheelbarrow?”

Then she laughed and laughed while I stood there contemplating the four hours that couldn’ve been two.

“WTH, Marie? You could’ve told me sooner!”

“You didn’t ask.”

After that, I ran most of my home projects by her before getting started.

Marie had experience, wisdom and the kind of common sense I sometimes lack.

There are probably a few Maries around you.

The question is whether you ask for their advice before you start shoveling or after you’ve moved the same pile of dirt twice.