We had a significant snowfall last night. In the morning, I saw a young man clearing a car with his hands and kicking snow away from the tires. With a six-inch blanket of heavy snow, his method was going to take time. Who knows: maybe he was digging out so he could go buy a shovel.

As I reflect upon his situation, a few things come to mind.

One, sometimes we don’t prepare … and our bet doesn’t pay off. Then we’re stuck with the consequences.

Two, when you don’t have a scraper and a shovel, you use your hands and your feet.

And three, paradoxically, getting the tools and resources you need would be easier if you already had them.