How to Solve Problems

Last night, after dinner the kids told me they couldn’t close the fridge. We have a nice refrigerator, it’s only a few years old. I figured the answer was simple, something was probably blocking the door. 

Ella and Sam didn’t stay in the kitchen long enough to investigate the problem with the fridge. Sam had a Minecraft creeper to deal with, and Ella was in the middle of reading one of Louis Sachar's excellent Wayside School books.

I climbed out of my comfy, red leather chair and entered the kitchen to discover the cause. I pushed the ajar door closed, but it bounced open again. Yep, they were right. Something was stopping the door from closing. 

I glanced down and noticed a half-full (I’m optimistic) bottle of wine. The bottle had slipped over and was likely the cause. I reach down, adjusted the bottle, and attempted to shut the door. The door didn’t hold closed, it sprang open once again. Hmmm…

I had to get to the bottom of it.

I kept trying and retrying to shut the door, but it would not seal closed. I considered rebooting it because that always works with technology. My IT knowledge didn’t seem to apply to household appliances though. 

Fear of an expensive repair bill entered my mind, just in time for Christmas. I decided I had to get to the bottom of it. I ran my hand along the seal on the top of the door and along the side. I tried the door again, but no luck.

I finally lowered myself to my hands and knees, and I glanced under the door and found the problem. Butter. 

A quarter bar of butter had fallen below and become wedged between the door and fridge. I had approached the problem from multiple angles and found the solution. I also saved myself the embarrassment and expense of having a service person discover the slippery, fattening culprit. 

What problem are you facing? Have you approached it from every angle?