Down the back of our section there’s a creek. And farmland beyond.
In the dark of night… screeching demons from the depths of hell… otherwise known as possums… make their way along the waterway.
To raid whatever juicy delights they can find in our suburban gardens.
The sound of them scurrying along your roof at night… and letting out their unholy cries… make them downright terrifying.
They may look all cute and cuddly. But my preference is to enjoy them as gloves and hats.
They especially love our grapefruit tree. And that’s not a happy thing for those of us who like freshly squeezed grapefruit juice on a hot summer’s day.
Now, the farmers over the creek use the usual way of possum dispatch. A spotlight and a .22 rifle.
We’re technically in the suburbs… so have to trap instead.
That’s pretty easy. Because they just can’t resist a juicy slice of apple placed in the end of a metal wire cage.
The first time I managed to trap one of the blighters… I was feeling pretty good about myself.
Images of victory formed in my mind…
“Behold Chris… the possum slayer!”
That’s kinda when my plan fell apart.
You see… I hadn’t quite figured out the next step. Of how to dispatch it.
I’m not sure why I did this next…
But my genius brain obviously thought it made perfect sense in the moment…
So I opened the cage… just a little.
Well, that little was just enough…
The possum lurched forwards. Getting itself stuck half-way out.
Realizing my mistake…
By habit I put my hand down onto it’s back… just like I’d do for our pets. Hoping to grab it and put it back in.
But they’re jolly strong creatures. So it easily managed to twist its head around toward the hand that was pinning it down.
Next moment…
A flash of pain.
Blood.
Plus, a few choice words.
And the possum escaped into the night… once again free to plunder fruit from innocent householders.
I now have an inch and a half of scarred flesh on my hand.
Which I see every day. And is a reminder to…
Plan Ahead
Good advice for just about every endeavor. Especially when the risks are high.
Or when not being prepared can lead to a huge waste of time.
And just a bit of planning or prior learning could have avoided such problems altogether.
It’s also good advice for my business.
So I try to not just wing it. But learn from others who have gone before. And who can help me pick up the skills I need so I can do the best job I can.
And avoid picking up unnecessary scars along the way.
Although some scars are the sign of good things.
You know? “Rite of passage” kinds of stuff.
Like a client rejecting a proposal. Or learning to deal with a seemingly irrational client.
But some stuff we can make far easier for ourselves. And less likely to cause trouble. With just a little preparation.
One reason I started this email list was to help other people who were walking a similar path to get ahead a bit quicker… and help them be a little better prepared to avoid pitfalls.
Being prepared is also why I took copywriting training. And it’s a skill I use in my business every day.
For email. And every time I type out words that need to be clear and persuasive.
Ready to build your email list? Go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham