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Table Tennis Says ‘No!’

29 October 2012

What a busy week and I’m sure yours was too, so what better way to relax than fly to Ireland and build a table tennis table.

Now, whilst you may think that’s an odd-ish way to spend a weekend, the facts are simple. I popped over to see my mum and step-dad and deliver No.1 son for a short holiday. They have a space for a table tennis table and for reasons beyond me had decided to buy one.

You’d think that screwing together lots of little wheels for the carry frame, adding flange B to pivot C and then wondering what happened to A would be simple stuff…

All was going swimmingly until we had to attach the two massive halves of the table to the spindly plastic frame, and then we needed time for a re-think. Table tennis balls are tiny and lightweight, but the tables they ping and pong on are hefty chunks of real estate, not to be messed with.

Having almost put my back out trying to lift the table tops up to the vertical and then having grown an extra pair of arms to allow me to wield a nut, a bolt, a table and two cheap bendy spanners, it was time to shout ‘Stop!’

This was madness. Me, a table tennis table and two pensioners (albeit relatively fit ones) …what could possibly go wrong?

I decided I didn’t want to find out, so I cancelled Operation-Broken-Finger and suggested they ask the nice man in the shop to complete the job.

A good call and we all sighed with relief, knowing that we had stopped trying to do an impossible task. This made me wonder:

A) How long do you take before saying ‘stop’..?

B) What task are you wrestling with, that this week you could stop, or re-think?

Saying ‘stop’ requires presence of mind and a willingness to explore alternatives. It’s not admitting defeat either, it’s simply delegating success.

So, this week, what task will you stop, re-think, or delegate?

Have fun! I’m not off to play table tennis!