When I found Mattuccui’s to catch a March Madness game on a big screen, I knew it would be a “make do” – and a reminder for all of us.
The bar was tucked on a side road just down the street in San Anselmo from where my 8 yo son was having a late morning brithday party for his friend Spencer Hao.
Cigarette smoke ordor, the product of likely decades of smokers long departed, hit my nostrils as I walked in. The attention of three patrons, working on some other pursuit than college basketball at 10:30 on a Sunday morning caught my eye as well. Small wonder that my order of a Virgin Mary, rather than the stronger potables being otherwise consumed, seemed out of place.
While most of us look for what we want, sometimes we should settle for what is good enough. Wi-fi? No. Chow beyond chips, peanuts, and beef hot-dogs? No, but I could survive on the first two the balance of the University of Washington vs. University of North Carolina game I wanted to catch.
What I got was all I needed – not what I wanted; big screen with an unobstructed view – good enough until the game was over and I could find someplace with both big screen and wi-fi.
Sometimes make do really is quite good enough. Like the job that keeps you fed, but doesn’t really strike any passion in you, or the the place you that call home that never quite really feels “homey.” Not just a state of mind, make do is a state of frank assessment.
Judging by the squeaker of a victory by the highly favored Tarheels over the UW Dogs in the basketball game I caught, it looks like I had company in that thought. Sometimes make do is good enough.
Life Back West is an occasional set of writings focused on ways people, teams and organizations can be both more effective (doing the right thing) and more efficient (doing the right thing well). More about executive, new role, career and team / leadership coaching services can be found at the “About J. Mike Smith and Back West, Inc.” sidebar or the “Hire Me” tab above. You can also read an online interview with me at WhoHub, as well as participate in my learning community courtesy of KnowledgeCrush.