Muddling Through

“I'm at my best in a messy, middle-of-the-road muddle.”

Harold Wilson

I have always felt that, for every problem that life presents us, there is a correct approach, and you should just learn to do things properly. But life isn’t like that at all: it mostly presents us with problems that, while simple and often mundane, are also frustratingly stubborn and simply not in our textbooks.

Yesterday, having been stranded without a vehicle, I had to pump up the tires on my daughter’s mountain bike to get where I needed to go for the day. But I had problems with the hand pump, and when I walked it to a mechanic for help, the tire valves turned out to be an unusual design: he couldn’t figure it out. Finally, I walked it a further kilometre to the Co-op, and spent a little time fiddling with the valves and re-trying the pump. Finally, something worked, and I was able to inflate the tires. The surprising thing is that, without any knowledge or expertise, I was able to solve the problem simply by staying at it and fumbling around with it.

Muddling through: the way life actually works.