Purposeful Failure It goes hand in hand with trying

Purposeful Failure
It goes hand in hand with trying. Failure is a valuable part of life that pushes us to overcome challenges and grow. Every day provides ample opportunities to fall short. The key is to use those experiences as a ladder to success, as Edison did when he invented the light bulb after much trial and error.
My goal was a little less lofty. I had to find a way to keep the goat from stealing all the dog food. Moonpie was persistent but I was determined to outsmart her. The quick fix was to put a concrete block in the doorway of the former chicken coop, now turned dog house. Somehow she still managed to wedge her round body through the door. I angled in another block, but she still barged in. Every version of my blockade only resulted in a fatter goat.
Frustrated and annoyed, I wracked my brain for an answer. Losing to the goat wasn’t an option! I sorted through all of the possibilities. Maybe I could set the dog food out at certain times of the day or feed her outside the fence. However, that would be a lot more trouble. I didn’t want a fix; I wanted a solution.
It became obvious that I needed an actual door. I scrounged up an old oven grate, two steeples for hinges, and a computer magnet for the latch. With a smug grin I watched the dog as she easily swung the door open using her claw. There was no way that Moonpie could open it with her clumsy hoof. My joy was short lived. As I watch in disbelief, her pink lips pulled the door open and she dove inside. But even though I had failed again I knew I was close. The final piece was a metal screen that only the dog could grasp. Check mate, the game was over!
In the grand scheme of things this was but a minor problem, but it applies to greater ones as well. A good challenge is never to be shied away from, but accepted. That’s what life is all about, fighting through the missteps, wrong turns, and mistakes to reach our goals. In doing so, we gain knowledge and experience to file away for future use. On that particular day, however, there was no greater satisfaction than outwitting the goat!