Community Roundup Week Ending June 21

The Barge

There’s a barge perched not far from the precipice of Niagara Falls. I guess it’s a scow, actually. It’s in the middle of Horseshoe Falls – the Canadian side. It’s been there over 100 years – since August 1918, to be precise.

That rusty barge has withstood deluges of rain, billions of gallons of water rushing over and past it, ice, snow, and whatever nature could throw at it.

And though it persists in its stuckness, it won’t be there forever.

The Niagara Scow, caught on rocks, surrounded by white water rapids and a tree. — Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=671741

I was at Lake Ontario and saw piles of sand. And thinking of how millions of years of water have eroded hard rock to soft sand. And I thought about how that ~~barge~~ scow is rusting away, and there will be generations for whom it’s a story without evidence other than photos.

Problems are like that scow. Sometimes you’re on the thing that’s stuck, and water and weather are racing around you and it’s hard to see how to get unstuck without going over the falls.

I watched a video this week about this massive street somewhere in the world – in a major city. There were cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, etc., careening through a HUGE intersection with several corners and multiple lanes of traffic.

The voiceover said to watch how the pedestrians move with purpose and avoid getting hit. But if they hesitate so that a motorist can no longer predict their movement, then they are in danger of being hit.

If you’re dealing with a problem and you feel like you’re on the scow, instead look ahead to where you believe the solution is, and move with purpose toward it. You may just find a solution without becoming collateral damage.