I think hardware stores are magical places. They have so much cool stuff that you never imagined you might need, until you need it.
This past week we had an issue with ants in our pantry. I have no idea how this got started and was pretty distressed by it. In an effort to get on top of this issue promptly, I headed to our neighborhood hardware store to seek guidance from the experts, and whatever product they deemed would be most effective to get rid of these pesky insects. I blew in the front door, was immediately asked how they might help me, directed to aisle 23 where a nice young man was waiting to listen to my problem and give me the appropriate remedy. My 5 minute experience there was one that left me smiling and filled with gratitude. Why was this?
I had a problem and knew where to go to get help
I felt welcomed upon entering the space where my helpers were gathered – waiting for me
I felt heard and not judged (The young man helping me even said, “This is what I use when I have ants in my pantry…”)
I was given something concrete to try
I left feeling empowered to take care of my issue
This seems like a framework for addressing most of our world’s problems! Maybe we all just need to adopt the mindset of a hardware store employee – “How can I help you?”
PS: The product they gave me to address my ant problem did not work. I didn’t give a rip about that. They did their best and I wasn’t blaming them. I will still go back there when I need something else.
(Do you want to know what did work? Cloves. Whole cloves. Just spread them in the area where the ants want to hang out and they will go somewhere else. This does however leave you with a pantry still looking like you have bugs though. But it smells kinda cool…)
