John D Schultz

So often it’s easy to focus on what has worked in the past and continue to repeat what has worked. When that doesn’t work, it’s not uncommon to give up and say it just can’t be done. I’m often guilty of those actions. Although sometimes, I’m able to get outside of the box and apply a new solution to an old scenario. This week I had one of those it just can’t be fixed moments, and was forced to give up only to be reminded to think outside of the box.

As you may know, I need my glasses to function in the world. Without them, I can see less than a few feet in front of me, and even that is questionable. So imagine my dismay when I recently stepped on and broke my glasses. The bow broke off from the frame (the bow is the extension from the frame to and around the ear) at the hinge. My first thought was I can wear them for a while with only one bow. After a few hours of constantly readjusting my glasses, and having a near constant nauseous feeling from improperly aligned glasses, I decided that wasn’t the answer. So, I decided I’d try and fix them.

I contacted friends and family that have glasses and asked them if they had any similar experiences. Almost all chuckled at me, and suggested super glue, JB Weld, Gorilla Glue, and a variety of other substances to “glue” my glasses back together. The contact points among the frame, hinge and bow were so small that nothing worked. After a few seconds, the bow would let loose. After 30 minutes of this fun, and variety of glue like substances, I gave up. I decided I’d just wear my glasses with one bow until I got my eyes checked in a few days, and the new glasses in about ten days.

Fast forward a few days. I called and made an appointment with my eye doctor to get my eyes checked out, and get new glasses. In the conversation I mentioned my broken glasses. The gal on the phone suggested I stop by, and that she’d try and fix them. I half chuckled to myself thinking about all the time I spent on trying to fix my glasses, and how any further attempts were likely to be futile.

This morning, I walked over to the Optometrist from my house. I walked in, and explained I had an appointment for next week. I also explained that she suggested I bring my glasses in for repair. I handed her the glasses and the parts. Within about 10 minutes, they had the glasses completely fixed (well to the point of usability). When I saw the fix, I had one of those duh moments. It was so simple, yet a bit out of the box. They took a short section of clear plastic tubing, put it over the joint, applied some heat from a lighter, and shrunk the tubing to fit. They then took a second section, put it over the first piece, and repeated the steps. My glasses are now as good as new, and maybe even sturdier than before.

Lesson learned. I thought “broke must fix.” Then, I thought “must glue.” All rational thoughts, and all within the box. In the past, if something was broke, a little glue would go a long way. If that didn’t work, the conclusion that the item couldn’t be fixed was reached. There I was standing waiting for them to announce my glasses couldn’t be fixed, and they come back with the same pair fully operational. I couldn’t help but think about how I need to apply thinking outside of the box to all things. Just because it’s a dead end doesn’t mean I’m stuck. It just means I need to look for other solutions, and get outside of the box.