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220/365 It's not because it is difficult ...

So, I had these two filters stuck together

    well ... a filter, and a step-up ring, actually ... but the story remains the same ...

They were stuck

      and I couldn't take them apart

 

I tried hard to get them to turn

  to unscrew them

but no matter how much force I used

  they wouldn't budge

 

I handed them to someone else

  insisting on how bad they were stuck

She tried

      with no more result

 

So I put them back on my table

    and in the course of a few days

  I tried a few more times

        a few dozen more times

        trying to apply more force than before

To no avail

 

I reached a point

    where

  I came to believe that they would remain stuck together forever

      unless I somehow sawed the step-up ring

  Not a pretty foresight

 

 

After one more

                        fruitless

          attempt

  I went to Google and asked

      "How to separate filters that are stuck together"

 

How enlightening !

 

If you are so inclined

  I'll let you discover by yourself

  all the

                wonderfully varied

            ideas

      that some people have had

    and

        that they took the time to write down

  for every one to try and explore at home

 

And then

    after some of these entertaining pages

  I came across this :

 

        Do not apply heat - both filters will expand together.

        Do not apply cold - both filters will contract together.

        Do not apply anything - especially not force.

        Hold each filter with only 2 fingers applying the least amount of pressure you can.

 

Now

    after having tried

    for several days with

                                              as much

                                          force

                                              as I could

    my first thought was

        Nah ... won't work

            and even if it could have worked at first

                    now is too late

              I most certainly messed it up

              by forcing so much

 

But not wanting to dismiss an idea

        just like this

  I went on to prove that this idea couldn't work

 

  So I took the filters in my hands

    and with the

                            least

                        amount of pressure ...

      ... I failed

 

 

I mean... I failed to prove that this wouldn't work

  because

        what happened is that I got the filters to turn

        and I got them separated

    in five seconds flat

    right there

 

My thoughts went

    Oh wow, they're separated !!!

  to

    How did that work ???

  to

    Oh wow, they're separated !!!

  to

    There's no way it worked so simply !!!

  to

    Oh wow, they're separated !!!

  to

    Was is really this simple all along ???

  to

    Oh wow, they're separated !!!

  to

    Oh ... that's the force itself that kept them stuck together ...

  to

    Oh wow, they're separated !!!

  to

    Oh ...

  to

    Oh wow, they're separated !!!

 

 

I think at this point I should mention that I was somewhat thrilled these filters got separated ...

 

And behind the thrill

                            a sense of

                                            irony

                        surfaced

 

All this time

  here I was

              using force

            to get them unstuck

                                              when ...

 

  All this time

    I was

            convinced

        they were stuck

    I was

            convinced

      I had to use force

    I was

            convinced

        it would be a

                            difficult

                          task

        requiring

                      force

            ... more of it than I could exert

 

 

 

And this got me wondering

      of course ...

 

about all these assumptions

      I carry

    that the task will be diffcult

 

    about all these times I am so convinced

            in advance

        that something will be painful

 

How many things

      do I assume

            will be hard

      and

          engage in with unnecessary force

    making these things

      as diffult as I thought they should be

 

  ... when all I'd have to do

      would be to just step in

  and be there

        with the least amount of pressure

    and everything would go smoothly

 

How many times

    did I make things difficult

  instead

      of flowing though them

      and

          simply

          surrendering

    to what

        simply

        is

    ?

 

How many

      scary images

  did I impose

                  on simple things

    from my scared mind

      ?

 

How many subjects

    did I complicate

    believing

        they were

                    difficult

        to learn

              ?

 

How many steps

      didn't I take

      convinced

          that they would be painful ?

 

 

How many

    will I

      ?

 

 

 

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Uploaded on May 13, 2012
Taken on May 8, 2012