I recall a time when I was opening up a can of tuna, and began to struggle with it. As is always the case, the more frustration, the more the sturggle. Tuna juice began to leak out, I began to curse, and my onlooking wife simply said "be smarter than the can of tuna."

I looked at her, incredulously, and said "what!?!" She repeated it: "be smarter than the can of tuna."

I sat the tuna down, went off to another room (after wiping the tuna juice off my hand), and contemplated this suggestion. What was the source of my wife's wisdom? Was it Taoism? Bhuddist Philosophy? Or just some smart-ass comment intended to inflame an already frustrating situation?

I did come up with a plan, visualized my plan, and went back and opened the damned can of tuna. I had problem-solved my way through! I had become smarter than the can of tuna.

This morning, while my son was putting on his roll-on deoderant, the contents of the container fell out. He stood there confused, not knowing what to do.

It was with some glee that I was able to say to him: "be smarter than the deoderant."

What is your bane? What everyday nuisance do you struggle with? What issue do you need to be smarter than?

deorre