There's a Hole In My Bucket

I've been thinking about the difference between identifying problems and solving them.

Lately I feel like a natural at identifying problems. The other day I even caught myself saying something like, "I don't have a solution for it, but..." and launching into a complaint about something I wanted to have go away.

When I looked back at that moment, I didn't like the way it made me feel. Identifying problems is all well and good - but I found myself dwelling on them. Feeling stuck - not mulling over how to solve them or what I could do to make the situation better.

All this brought to mind a song, and a specific time I used it to solve a problem.

The song: "There's a Hole in My Bucket" which catalogues Henry's woes about his bucket with a hole in it and Eliza's attempts to resolve each problem (lyrics below).

The story of how I used it to solve a problem:

I was babysitting while in grad school and the little girl had thrown a fit and chucked markers around. Once she calmed down, I explained that she needed to now pick up all those markers she had thrown. Of course she wasn't happy. She started whining to me that she couldn't do it: there were too many, one was under the couch and she couldn't reach it, it was too hard for her to do by herself...and on the list went.

For each excuse I offered a solution: I could help her find them all, we could get something long to help us reach under the couch or move it out...

As we kept going in circles, it made me think of the song. So I started singing it. We were both laying on the floor and her sullenness melted away as the song went on and on.

Now, I doubt that this 4-year-old girl had any idea the connection I had made between the current situation we found ourselves in and the song, but she loved it. So much so that when the song was over she asked me to sing it again. So I struck a deal - I'd sing it again if she would pick up the markers while I sang. (Full disclosure: I knew that this little girl loved songs, and I was pretty sure that singing would help calm her down and distract her :)

There are times in life when I will be Henry - cataloguing my woes, complaining to someone else and throwing another probelm in the face of every solution they profer me.

There are times in life when I will be Liza - listening to each problem and offering a solution no matter how many new problems come up.

And sometimes I might even be both.

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There's a Hole in My Bucket

There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.

        Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.

With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?

        With straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        With straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, with straw.

The straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long.

        Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, cut it.

With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, with what?

        With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, an axe.

The axe is too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The axe is too dull, dear Liza, too dull.

        Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, sharpen it.

With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, with what?

        With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, a stone.

The stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.

        Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, wet it.

With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, with what?

        With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, with water.

In what shall I carry it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
In what shall I carry it, dear Liza, in what?

        In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
        In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, in a bucket.

But there's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.