Kick The Can

As a kid, growing up in the mid 1900’s, Kick The Can was a popular summer game amongst the other youngsters in our neighborhood.  We typically played in the Harter kids’ backyard because it opened to a big field with tall grass and lots of places to hide.  They had some old-growth timber growing on the edges of that field and, consequently, the games could entertain us for hours on end.

The game, if you’re unfamiliar or a little rusty on your KTC memories, is like Capture the Flag or Tag.  One player (or team) is “IT” and everyone else attempts to stay out of “Jail” by running, hiding and any manner of eluding being tagged by the one(s) who are “it”.  And, as the name implies, free players can sneak up, kick the can, and free their friends.  For those in jail, kicking the can on your behalf was the goal.  For those guardians of the jailed, kicking the can was to be avoided with those brave enough to try, prey for capture.

Lots of hiding, running, chasing and laughing.  Plenty of scrapes and bee stings and boo-boos too, I’m sure.  I remember the old gang and the fun we had.  I think of them from time to time and even found one of their phone numbers here recently and rang him up.  KTC didn’t come up, strangely enough.  Bigger stuff to talk about these years later.

Kicking the can still gets played plenty in life.  It’s not fun and games any more.  Kicking the can is now about procrastinating and putting things off.  Kicking the can down the road costs you.  It can cost you far more than you are wanting to pay.

The top reason we do it is … drumroll please … time.  We think we either don’t have enough time OR we think we can get around to it later when we have more time.  There’s a really fancy word for that, you know.  STUPID.  Yeah, that’s right, stupid.  The truth is that we have all the time that will ever exist in the world.  So that’s just not a good answer.

You are a SMART person.  You know how to make SMART decisions.  You’ve even heard the descriptors of Specific - Measurable - Attainable - Realistic - Timed to extrapolate the idea around making great, SMART, decisions and changes.

So the question I have for today is an encouraging one indeed; What SMART decision or situation can I make today in place of kicking the can down the road on that very matter?  Is there a call you’ve been putting off, a person you need to ‘mend the fence’ with, a habit you need to ask for help with, a discipline you need guidance in implementing?  Is there a spouse you need to start dating again, a letter you need to write, a matter of forgiveness you need to attend to?

No parent guilt - just encouragement.  Kick the can is a game for kids.  Kicking the can down the road is a choice and I’m encouraging you to decide to make one, SMART decision today.  When you do - you win!  Perhaps we’ll just call that CRUSHING THE CAN:-)

 Press on, dear friends.  Ours is a high call!

Peace~