Ouch! Oh no, the yellow jacket is stuck to my right ear as I slap and pull him off. Just as I throw him down, there’s another one popping my right hand. Bailing out of the utility room at my cabin, I lay down a stream of wasp spray at a few other aggressive yellow jackets. My utility room has been invaded by a huge nest of yellow jackets and today is my second battle with them. My son, Brandon, emptied two cans of wasp spray on them two weeks ago, and I did the same last week to no avail.
At home, I ask CeCe how swollen my ear is because it hurts like crazy.
Have you gotten stung again? Why are you fooling with them?
We have to get them out of the utility room, and I am the man who can do it. I am dealing with them. (Yes, I said all of this macho stuff to CeCe and told my son, Brandon, don’t worry about them; I will knock them out without getting stung. HA!)
Then CeCe comes back with that wisdom stated only as she can.
Well, maybe it’s time you get someone faster than you!
Yes, that hurt my feelings, yet I started laughing as she was right in so many respects.
How often do we get stung trying to do something that would be better handled by someone else? Do we want the credit? Is it a control issue? Are we too impatient or too busy? Do we like being the “only” one that knows how to do it? Whatever the underlying justifications or excuses, we often keep things on our plate or grab new things without collaborating to ensure we get the right people involved. Unfortunately, we usually end up like me, with a sting or two that could have been avoided.
CeCe, do we have any more Benadryl?
Leading with Significance has officially hit the retail market and is now available at these online locations:
For more information on my presentations or to access my beBetter blog library go to joeyhavens.com.
