The "Right" Tool, Story and Reflection

by Dr. Tonya Caylor

Jun 10, 2025

My husband and I enjoy our annual camping trips across South Central Alaska (Hope being a favorite). We upgraded a couple years ago from the pop-up tent to a trailer. (Yep - we are 'that age' 😉) But we have learned over the years the importance of taking a screen shelter with us - whether for bugs, rain, or intense sun - it adds additional comfort.

On our last trip, the ground was bone dry and packed solid. There was no way to anchor the screen tent, and it can be gusty there. I bent a few anchors trying to force them in the ground.

Fortunately for me, I travel with the quintessential orthopedic surgeon by day, a project man after-hours, who never goes anywhere without tools. So, even though we didn't have a device designed for tent anchors (the "right tool"), he did his MacGuyver magic with a drill, and voila, tent secured. (Does anyone even get the MacGuyver reference anymore?) Anyway, it started me thinking...

Mental Flexibility is SO important, AND it's a skill that can be developed. I have coached clients who gain hope by learning to see other options they never considered. And it's not because I gave them answers. It's because they partnered with me in taking down the presumed limitations and found their own innovative approach to their current situation.

Reflection: The answers locked inside your own brains are just amazing! What's the equivalent of hard-packed ground and bent anchors that you're faced with currently? What tool is entrenched as the "right tool"? Challenge yourself to think of 10 other ways you could approach the situation. Sometimes you need to imagine a far-fetched idea (an alien arrives and uses a laser...) to get your brain to loosen up. But once it does, you'll be surprised by what you devise.

I'd love to hear what you discover? My takeaway - if I ever camp without my husband, I'm taking his toolbag!

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