Having the right tools and the right attitude...

My sister is moving.  And, she owns an elliptical (which she actually uses!).  So she planned to move the machine to her new place.  Simple enough, right?

But, much to her dismay, on Friday, the movers refused to move it becasue it wasn't taken apart.

My sister called the store she bought the elliptical at, and they couldn't get anyone out for 5 days - which would be too late.  She also called another business, that specializes in workout equipment, but they would only help on their products - which it wasn't.  And, as a last ditch effort, she called her trainer and asked for suggestions, but he was no help.

So, she decided, "Dammit, I will take it apart myself!"

Coincidentally, yesterday, I and the boys were scheduled to helped my sister with the remainder of her move.  Yep, you guessed it, the main task at hand was to take apart that stinkin' elliptical.

She had found directions to disassemble the machine on the internet and they seemed easy enough - so we grabbed the necessary tools (as listed on the directions) and started.  The first few steps moved smoothly - remove a few screws and take the protective covers off of the machine.  There were about 6 covers to remove and each came off in a snap...UNTIL, one particular cover was awkwardly placed and the 8 inch long screw driver was too long to be any good.  We tried other screw drivers...but each were too long. 

The directions never said anyting about needing short, STUBBY screwdrivers!!!!

Both of us started to get frustrated.  The boys, who were trying to help, started asking questions about why we were having troubles.  And, I snapped at them.  My irritation was showing, and it was not pretty.

My sister, on the other hand, refused to let her frustration get the best of her!  She smiled and said - "Come on, we're going to the hardware store to get the right tools."  She turned the whole experience into an adventure.

All four of us piled into my car and off we went to Ace Hardware.  We grabbed some stubby screwdrivers (about 2.5 inches long), made a quick pit stop at Dairy Queen for a little treat, and then headed back to work on the elliptical.

Those stubby screwdrivers made all the difference in the world!  In short order, we had that elliptical into three movable pieces!  It felt great to succeed!

But, this experience was about more than just unscrewing and unbolting the machine...it reminded me of two important life lessons that I had lost sight of... 

Those lessons are:
1)  Having the right tools for the job is incredibly helpful, and
2)  Maintaining a positive, can-do attitude - even when things get frustrating - (like my sister) makes all the difference!

It was a great reminder!
Thanks A!