Sunday, March 14, 2010

52 Blessings--Problem Solvers

Photobucket
you're never too young to be a problem solver


I’m not a fan of daylight saving; I enjoy morning productivity more than evening productivity, but I can appreciate that someone used daylight saving as a creative answer to a problem.

Stanley Mason, the man who invented the pull-apart package on band-aid strips, said, “The best inventions have happened because someone either solved an existing problem, or in the course of solving one problem came up with a solution to another problem,”

Long before we had pull-apart band-aid packages we used to pull on a little red string that ran up the inside of each individual band-aid package to open it. Not only were the little red strings hard to find without an emergency, they were even harder to find in a band-aid emergency so Mr. Mason solved the problem by inventing pull-apart packages. (http://www.morebusiness.com/running_your_business/businessbits/d982535517.brc)

Another man, Art Fry, had a hard time keeping his paper bookmarks from falling out of his hymnal during choir practice. He floundered between songs. Frustrated, he thought of a useless adhesive that had been developed at his work. The glue when applied would adhere, but not stick permanently. Mr. Fry, wondering how to get his paper bookmarks to stay in place, thought that he might add a swipe of the useless glue discovered at work to the bottom of his bookmarks and see if they’d adhere to the hymnal pages without sticking permanently. They did. Welcome “post-it” notes—one of the top five selling office supplies in America. (http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/post-it.asp)

So though daylight saving time isn’t my favorite, I recognize it is for many others and I appreciate problem-solvers like Mr. Mason, and Mr. Fry, and Benjamin Franklin (even though it was his suggestion, written in jest, which started the daylight saving ball rolling) for their problem solving abilities. My life is much better for the problems they've solved.

5 comments:

Deidra said...

After the first day of spring forward I enjoy it. Who said anything about productivity? I love longer evenings for enjoying more spring sunshine and more opportunities for playing!

Deanna/Mimi said...

It always seems like the simplest thoughts turn into some of the greatest improvements. But I agree about daylight savings time. I say..leave the time alone. It not only fouls up man twice a year but the animal kingdom as well. Plus one has to go around and change all the clocks in the house and I have many clocks!! Also we are getting earlier in starting DST and later in ending it. One day we will have fooled with "time" so much we won't know what year it is really suppose to be. You can tell I am a grumpy old woman (who is smiling).

Derek-Jenny-Kaitlynd-Ethan-Dylan said...

So very interesting.

I am ok with daylight savings. I kinda like the change.

Brenda Goodrich said...

What's with all the dead blackbirds? Is Calvin tampering with nature? Congratulations on being a grandma!

michelle said...

Way to put a positive spin on daylight savings! Love the photo.