If It Ain't Broke...

    Murphy’s Law: If it ain’t broke . . . it will be soon!

    Oh, Oh! That little red “engine” light in the Honda came on. Should we take it in? It’s such a hassle. Besides it’s probably no big deal. Wrong! Fortunately Jane, being the more cautious, drove to our mechanic. His verdict? “Good thing you got it in here right away or you’d be looking at a whole new engine.”
    During Christmas break our daughter Heather spent her birthday in the dentist’s chair. But the filling preempted a root canal.
    With all the freezing temperatures one plumbing company’s ad said, “Call us for a check up. Or call us with an emergency. It’s your choice!”
    Whether it’s pipes, the roof, or new tires vs. a flat on the freeway we all recognize that without proper maintenance things fall apart. It’s either “prevent ative” maintenance or “deferred” maintenance and as every home owner discovers – the longer we put it off, the greater the problem, the greater the cost!
    But it’s not just things that fall apart. Without adequate maintenance WE fall apart. Too often I find myself minimizing or rationalizing the ‘cavity’ – that empty place that needs attention.
    Historically the word ‘maintenance’ comes from the root ‘keeping in being.’
    Medically that entails keeping a patient in stable condition, or continuing good health practices. Computer Programmers are correcting faults in an application, improving performance or adapting a program to a changing environment. Lawyers talk of the ability to provide basic, necessary material support. To financial planners it means actions that bring an asset to its full potential.
    What are you doing to “keep in being?” No, not just a post-Christmas diet or a trip to the club, what about the deeper, ‘inside’ areas that need attention and care? Life balance (stability); Communication (good health practices); Personal Goals (improved performance); Staying Focused (nessary); Fulfillment (full potential) :
    What would maintenance in those areas look like? What will you do to avoid a ‘root-canal’ emergency?