A Post Removal

It's fairly common knowledge that we're in the process of trying to sell our house in Texas.  Over the last several weeks we've done everything we know to do in order to prepare for the sale.  We've cleaned, we've painted, we've removed old furniture and clothes, we've done all kind of yard work and still, to no avail, the house hasn’t sold. 

 

After a while, you start to think that there's something wrong with the house.  You begin to wonder, what's keeping it from selling? 


Over the last 7 years, this house has been a great place for our family.  It's provided shelter, comfort and security for us.  Its really been a great place to live.  So why wouldn't anyone want to buy such a wonderful home? 



This weekend we were preparing for an open-house and I noticed a post sticking out of the ground.  It was the old Direct satellite post that didn't have a dish on it any longer.  It had been there for several years; however, this may be just the reason no one was offering to buy the house.  It's an eye-sore and in my opinion needed to be removed. 



So, I begin to push and pull back and forth, thinking that I could loosen the dirt around it then just pull it out of the ground.  Well, that didn't happen.  So I went to the garage and got a small garden shovel.  I begin to remove some of the dirt from around the base.  It was then I noticed the post was cemented into place.  When the Direct guy placed it, he didn't want it removed.  It was to be there, secured and safe. 



I went back to the garage and got a sledge hammer and a spike.  I begin to strike the cement to break it up.  It was a slow process, but eventually I had several chunks of cement removed.  Although the post was a tad bit looser, it was still secured in place.  I worked on hammering and striking the cement, pushing and pulling and shoveling dirt until I had made myself sick; and to no avail, the post was still in the ground and wasn't coming out. 



At this point I had my mind made up.  I'm getting that post out of the ground, even if it kills me.  So I got the big shovel and begin to strike the cement.  I dug around and took out the broken pieces that were in the way.  Before I knew it, I had a hole in the yard.  Not just a hole,  but a big hole with chunks of cement lying everywhere; AND a post sticking up out of the ground.



 NOTHING I WAS DOING WAS WORKING!!



I took a break from digging and went and got my youngest son Collin.  He's a strong boy, he's been working out this summer, he'll be just the person that can help me pull that post right out of the ground.  I felt like I had to have someone else involved in the removal process.



As we pulled and pushed, twisted and jerked we still didn't get it out of the ground.  I asked Collin to work on it so I could cool off and rest.  So he dug the hole deeper and wider thinking that he would go around the cement.  He beat on the concrete and chipped away at it bit by bit, but still had no luck. 



We worked on this project for at least an hour and a half.  Finally, after digging, pushing, pulling, chipping, and struggling with the removal of the post, we decided we'd give it one more shot.  I grabbed the bottom, Collin grabbed the center and we both pulled with all we had and slowly the cement base began to come out of the ground.  We had FINALLY done it...we removed the post and there was no longer an eye-sore. 



Or was it?



In the process of removing the post, we had created yet another “eye-sore”.  We created a very deep and wide hole!  Not only was there a big hole in the yard, but I also had dirt and chunks of cement everywhere.  In addition to the chunks of cement, there were small, sharp, jagged edged rocks lying everywhere.  If someone were to step on them, it would've caused a lot of pain. 


In the process of taking care of an “eye-sore”, I created a big mess with the potential of causing harm to others.   



You know it's funny.  Things would have been much better if I’d just left things the way they were.  I could have saved myself, and others, a lot of pain, aggravation, frustration and even sickness; if I'd only been willing to leave something left from the past, alone.   



People today want to remove the symbols of the past, remove the "eye-sores" from yester years.  Here's a suggestion.  Learn to live with the past.  We can learn to live with the symbols and reminders of our yesterday and remember what we USED to be, not what we are. 


Yes, there are issues that our United States faced many, many years ago.  However, look at where we are now.  We're so much better and so much further advanced than we were 100 years ago. 



We're constantly being told not to live in our past.  And we shouldn't.  You can’t change it.  It is what it is.  However, you can learn from it.  You're never going to change the past.  You may try to remove the "eye-sores" that remind you it, but you'll never change the past.  No matter how hard you try. 



Although Collin and I were successful in removing the post and we were successful in filling and covering the hole, it didn’t change the fact that I had a post in my yard.  Not only did it not change the fact that I had a post in my yard, the removal process left yet another “eye-sore”.  It left something that I may never be able to remove. A scar.


There will always be a reminder of something that once was. 



Just my thoughts….