Could have been a Shitstorm, but what if it wasn't?

My dog knows when I'm planning a trip. 🐶

I know this because he gets into something nearly lethal every time.

This time: compost.

Which means that instead of leaving a perfectly healthy dog, I leave a dog who has the runs.💩

But even in these moments, instead of stressing, I do something I've learned to do pretty well . . . I engage other people to help me create a revised plan.

I do it just as much for myself as for the kid-in-charge—this time, my 18-year-old son.

Because here's something I know about myself now: I would never have done many of the things I consider accomplishments over the past few years if I hadn't learned to weather shitstorms.

And I do that through a collaborative network built on mutual support.

Collaboration is a something I value.  It's so central to who I am!

And I nurture that value by engaging with my kids, my vet (who, lucky me, is also my brother-in-law), my neighbors, and lots and lots of people like you—not only when I need help, but when I have something of value to offer them.

In my Four Edges Creative Growth Framework, this fits squarely into a growth edge I call Installing.

Installing is what happens when you've practiced something enough that you don't question yourself the moment it feels a little uncomfortable.

I mean, I don't love having to ask my neighbors to watch my dog if he might crap on their floor. (Even though they were 100% game and I was pretty sure he wouldn't by the time we handed him off).

If it were a life-and-death emergency, of course I'd change my plans. 

If he were getting worse and not better, I would have cut the trip short.

No question about it.

But so often, we abandon our plans not because something is actually too risky— but because we're worried about what might happen.

We worry about a future we don't know instead of dancing in the moment with the resources we've built on the foundation of what matters most.

Every time we let an imagined future make the decision for us, we reinforce the idea that what matters to us is negotiable.

What if it isn't?

What if, instead of asking, Should I still do this? every time life gets worrisome, scary, or feels too risky, you asked:

What support do I need so I can honor what I truly value?

That's a different question. And it can create a very different future!

(UPDATE: There were no accidents in the neighbors' house!)🐾

xo