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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I broke my grandparents lawnmower when I was a kid when I ran over a stump and seized the engine, and I believe if you are learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share the story of how I severed a nerve in my left middle finger.
Today’s Fun Fact: There has been a lot of dialogue over the last few weeks since it was announced that starting in the year 2020, Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson as the portrait on the $20 bill. Do you know what other currencies are printed and who is on them? Do you know which denominations have been removed from circulation and who was on those bills? Let’s find out.
Currently being produced:
$1: George Washington
$2: Thomas Jefferson
$5: Abraham Lincoln
$10: Alexander Hamilton
$20: Andrew Jackson
$50: Ulysses S. Grant
$100: Benjamin Franklin
Retired from circulation:
$500: William McKinley
$1,000: Grover Cleveland
$5,000: James Madison
$10,000: Salmon P. Chase
$100,000: Woodrow Wilson
What I Learned Yesterday:
What do you do when you’re facing a situation that paralyzes you with fear?
The year was 1992. I was 16 years old and like most 16 year olds, I wanted a car. My parents couldn’t afford to buy me a car so if I wanted a car, I had to save the money and buy it myself. That reason was one of the factors that I considered when I chose to live with my grandparents for the summer. They lived within walking distance of several places where I could get a summer job, and that meant money!
My grandma knew the manager at a grocery store nearby and she put in a good word for me. I submitted my application, got called in for a job interview, and within no time at all I was hired! I bagged groceries, carried them out to customer’s cars, swept the floor, and did whatever else I was asked to do.
It was a part-time job, so I didn’t work a full shift every day, and I didn’t even work 5 days a week. This meant that I still had plenty of time to hang out with my friends. Oh wait. I was 30 miles away from my friends. So I spent a lot of time watching TV and movies (can you say Star Wars marathon?) I also did chores around the house.
My grandparents lived adjacent to an alley that served as a water draining system. This meant that their backyard was lush and green filled with all kinds of plants; some wanted, some unwanted. Along one corner of the side yard, the plants had really grown in thick and were getting out of control. My grandpa assigned me with the task of cleaning out all the unwanted bushes, weeds, saplings, and other plants that were cluttering up the yard. He had all the necessary tools but it was a big job and could not be done in a single day.
I worked on the project as I could on days that I had an accommodating work schedule and the heat of the summer wasn’t too bad. I made steady progress and the yard was shaping up nicely. It was really great to be able to do a job and see a physical transformation taking place. I enjoyed the feeling of looking back at the landscape at the end of the day and being able to measure just how much work had been done.
As I neared the end of the job, I had made my way from the area closest to the alley to the area closest to their driveway. At some point in the past, a big bush or small tree had been planted in the area. For as long as I could remember, all that remained of the plant was the stump. The trunk of the stump was about 4 inches in diameter and it had been sawn down so that it stuck up about 4 inches out of the ground.
Using the various tools at my disposal, I began the process of removing the stump. I dug around the perimeter and cut all the roots I could find. I removed the dirt that was obstructing my view. And I used a shovel as a lever to pry the stump out of the earth. Like a loose tooth that refuses to let go, the stump was stubborn and refused to release its grip on the ground.
I hacked at it, removed the dirt, pried at it with the shovel, and loosened it up to the point where it seemed like it would pop loose. However, it was still clinging to the clay.
I hacked at it some more. I removed even more of the soil, I pried as hard as I could, but it refused to let go. I was getting frustrated and even more determined to win this battle.
I decided that my best option was to enlarge the area around the stump so that I could get a better view of the root or roots that were still connected. After a time of digging, I finally found the culprit. There was a pretty sizable root that was dug in directly below the stump. Getting it to break loose would prove to be a significant challenge as the other roots were forming a type of cage around it. I needed to excavate more.
Determined to win with victory in sight, I feverishly hacked away at the red Oklahoma clay in which it was embedded. The crumbling clay was drawn down by gravity and filled in the areas closest to the center of the stump. I plugged my hands into the clay particles, and removed them out of the way. Over and over again I repeated this process, steadily making progress and inching closer to removing the wooden carcass from the clutches of terra firma.
With one last gasp the stump lashed out and I felt a piercing sting in my left middle finger. A piece of metal that had once been a decorative trim around the plant was now a rusty blade hidden beneath the dirt.
I quickly pulled my hands out of the dirt and I immediately knew I was in trouble. The cut on my finger had gone to the bone and my hand was gushing blood like an untapped oil well. I leapt up from the ground and ran into the garage. Because my hands were covered in blood, I didn’t want to open the door myself. I yelled for my grandmother to come open the door. She could tell by the sound of my voice that something was wrong.
What happened next was unexpected. Instead of opening the door she yelled to me from the other side. She said, “What do you need?” I said, “I need you to open the door.” “Why do you need me to open the door?” “I just do.” “Did you hurt yourself?” “Yes.” “How bad is it?” “I don’t know, just open the door!”
Finally, my grandmother opened the door. When she saw the amount of blood, she was shocked. She quickly sprang into action and got me to the sink and grabbed a towel to put over my hand. She whisked me into the car and drove me to the emergency room. A painful anesthetic shot and a few stitches later, I was all fixed up and resting comfortably back in front of the TV.
The stump had won the battle, but fear not. Once I healed up I returned to the battlefield and I won the war.
Here’s what I learned.
I was really surprised by my grandmother’s reaction that day. My grandma is a strong woman who has seen some ugly stuff so I’m not sure why she hesitated in opening the door.
But as I reflect on that day and try to put myself in her position, I can identify with what might have been going through her mind.
She knew I was injured. She knew I was using all sorts of tools and implements that could cause very serious injury. She knew that if I was unable to open the door myself then the injury was probably severe. I think that her imagination and thoughts got the best of her. I think that she was on the other side of that door imagining all of the worst case scenarios, and figuring out what she was going to do based on how badly I was maimed.
I also think that my injury was probably less severe than what she thought it might have been. Sure, my injury was bloody and needed immediate medical attention, but given the tools I was using, it could have been much worse.
Have you ever been facing a situation where you let your imagination get the best of you. Have you found yourself paralyzed by fear of what might happen if you open that door, take that step of faith, or take the plunge? Or have you found yourself in that type of situation where you finally overcame that fear and took the big step? Did it turn out that it wasn’t nearly as bad as you imagined? Did you find out that those moments of succumbing to the fear and doubt actually did you more harm than good? Did you realize that those moments of delay only delayed you getting to a better place?
I have. So I can totally identify with my grandma that day. I’m glad she finally opened the door and took action. I’m glad she helped me get to a better place. And I’m glad she doesn’t pass out at the sight of blood.
One last lesson I learned: Always wear gloves when removing a stump.
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
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