In the wheel of progress, one missing cog can make all the difference. The Bibbed Wonder’s market pigs were scheduled to go to market. The butcher called Eric, but it was a few weeks too early. Eric called the butcher a few weeks later, but one of the compressors was down, and it will be a few weeks before it is fixed. This snafu will create some enormous market pigs. The desirable weight for a market pig is 250 lbs. The delay in scheduling is going to put the piggies at closer to 300 lbs. This creates an issue at several levels.
First, it means The Bibbed Wonders pork customers will have to wait for their pork products. Eric runs a pretty tight ship and has a well-laid plan for almost everything. Some things are beyond his control, but he is meticulous about customer service. He feels that he looks sloppy, unprepared, and unprofessional when he has to go back on his word or change his schedule. This makes for a grumpy bib overall wearing buddy. Sigh.
Secondly, it means the price will increase because the weight of the animal will increase. Eric is pretty good at assessing the projected cost of the pork, but this little hiccup will upset that assessment. He hates to go back to his customers and tell them that the numbers have increased. Again, he views this as unprofessional. This also makes for an unhappy bib-wearing wonder buns.
Lastly, Eric’s cost per pig will increase because of the extra feed for the piggies. It is unbelievable how much a growing pig consumes. The added additional weeks of feed are a blow to one bib-wearing pig farmer’s bottom line. This, too, makes for a grumpy little wonder buns. Most importantly, I am the one who must deal with said grump for however long it takes for the piggies to make it to market. Sigh.
This issue is no one’s fault. Machinery breaks down; a business owner is at the mercy of the repairman, and the customer is at the mercy of the business owner. It is all a circle, and there is no one to place blame. It is something that must be accepted and dealt with day by day. Often, we take the delicate balance of every aspect of modern life for granted. When this delicate balance is thrown off, it creates problems in areas of one’s life one doesn’t usually consider. I feel like the past two years have been one upset after another to the delicate balance we strike in our world. We can grump and grouse all we want, but it doesn’t improve or change the situation.
I tend to be very zen about issues. I wholeheartedly believe everything will work out. I have also come to accept that there are things beyond my control and no amount of worry, fretting, or tantrum-throwing will change the outcome. It doesn’t mean I don’t get upset; it just means I’ve learned to accept that I am not in control of every aspect of my world. This is a hard lesson to learn, and I don’t believe I have mastered this lesson. However, it helps me deal with one bib overall wearing grump because I understand how he feels. My “don’t give a sh**” attitude frustrates The Bibbed Wonder. It’s not that I don’t care. It’s just that I choose to look for a rational solution to the problem and accept that sometimes there is not a solution. I get worried when I am the rational one of the two of us. Sigh.
On this blustery October day, stay safe, be smart, try to remain zen when your plan goes array, and keep washing your hands. PSA, you can wash your hands with our lovely zen soap, which is half-off on the site this week. I’m just throwing that out there; insert wink.
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