“Do you check the water level when you use the washing machine?”
That was the question a service person asked me last week.
My washing machine had stopped working, so I had called him home to check it.
I was surprised by the question.
“Doesn’t the machine select it automatically?”
He explained that sometimes we need to check it ourselves. The clothes need to be properly covered and soaked in water for them to be cleaned well.
Then he reminded me of how we used to wash clothes earlier.
Put them in a bucket.
Fill it with water.
Make sure everything was properly soaked.
That simple explanation got me thinking.
How often do we expect good results from something we haven’t been fully involved in?
We want to learn something, improve a skill, start a project, or build a relationship.
But sometimes, we give it only part of our attention.
We listen, but not fully.
We practise, but not regularly.
We start with interest, but don’t stay with it when things get difficult.
And then wonder why the result isn’t quite what we expected.
Perspective
The washing machine made me think about something simple.
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the machine.
The water level is simply not enough.
Maybe the same is true for personal growth.
We sometimes expect a good outcome from something we haven’t really immersed ourselves in.
Clothes cannot be cleaned properly if they are only partly soaked.
Perhaps some things in life work the same way.
Different results may sometimes need a different water level.
