Lamp Lessons

The lamp in my hooch just reminded me of a valuable lesson.  I have a adjustable lamp clamped to the wall of my hooch that had been working just fine since my arrival here.  Over the past week, it had been acting strange . . . cutting on and off . . . when it cut off, I would go over to examine it but  the vibration from my footsteps would turn it back on again and it would stay on.  My first thought. . .hmm. . .there’s a power issue or short in the lamp.  It wouldn’t be the first time that I had to deal with shoddy equipment in a third world country.  As the week progressed, the light got worse randomly blinking in and out . . .so I’d just tap the light or adjust the neck and it would be fine for an hour or two.  Finally, it cut out and would not come back on.  Tapping on it or adjusting the neck just didn’t fix it.  Then a voice in my head said, “Sani, tighten the light bulb.”  When I touched the light bulb, I realized that it had jarred loose.  After I tightened it, no more problems.   After laughing at myself for a couple of minutes, I totally had a “like, Whoa!” moment.  In life, when we deal with problems (relationships, finances, health, etc.) or try to fix them . . . we don’t realize that sometimes WE are the source of the problem.  If we don’t fix ourselves or change our way of thinking, we may temporarily solve the problem (or not) but it comes back in some form or fashion.