Fear is for the rats

And coffee is (mostly) for the closers

The scream was heard throughout the house. And before it ended, my woman was already out of bed and up the stairs.

“It’s a rat!!!!!” cried our youngest. “We must leave now - I don’t feel safe in this house!”

This was the second tragedy of the day. The first was in the morning, when we were talking with the kids about acts of service.

“Like making coffee for mom and dad in the morning” I explain. Before I know it, all three children are fighting over who can make the coffee first. Two coffees but three kids. The youngest was too slow on the draw.

They all missed the point.

Now we have rats. We live in the upper crust of society, with a view you could die for and the most charming of life… yet there will always be rats.

This one ran under the refrigerator, which will soon be important to our story.

As we explained to our children, making coffee isn’t about a competition - it’s about being thoughtful. And there are always opportunities where you can be thoughtful to others and do service for them.

The youngest took this job serious. Post it notes - three of them!!! - on her door so she could get up first the next morning to make us the coffee.

Problem - the rats. And the milk is in the fridge, right where the rat escaped through the bottom of.

Would her fear of rats stop her on her mission to make mom and dad coffee in the morning?

Not even.

Fresh in the morning first thing was coffee waiting for us. She was so fixed on her mission that she forgot her fear.

In fact all the kids pitched in and made us a full on Sunday morning breakfast - complete with avocado toast and power bowls. Quite the success.

Reflecting on this, the insights to me are:

1 - if you’re strong enough in your vision then there is no room for your fear.

2 - lessons often aren’t learned the first time - like the idea that services isn’t a competition. But with a slight adjustments, they still can be learned.

And sometimes quickly - like a rat scurrying under the fridge.