All in

I recently handled a plumbing repair — the unexpected kind that jumps to the front priority queue.

Part of the repair involved removing a pipe from under a sink. With bucket ready, I slowly loosened the coupling nuts. Water began to drip into the bucket (excellent). Then, much more water began to spray vertically, not into the bucket (not ideal).

What I realized — after it was too late — was that a slow disassembly of the parts resulted in some undesirable conditions. The awkward stage where water was spraying instead of draining … that stage was prolonged by my tentative movements.

Had I been swift and confident with the removal, there’d have been far less water on the floor.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to go all in. Not slow, not tentative, but firm and fleet-footed.