As part of moving into a new house we have discovered that some of the extension leads we had were not suitable. Electricity sockets are in different places in the new rooms so the cables needed to be longer. I decided that what would be helpful would be some 5m long cables so that they could run almost unobtrusively behind furniture and the sockets would then be where we needed them to be.

So I went online and searched for ‘5m extension cable’. Loads of options came up, so I decided to go for a couple that looked quite fancy and even had USB sockets too. I placed the order and waited for their arrival, feeling pleased with my choice… until they arrived. They were only 1.5m long. I had not checked carefully enough and had ordered the wrong length.

In actual fact, they are both useful in different locations than the ones I had in mind, so it was not wasted money. Undaunted, I searched again for ‘5m extension cable’. And this time I was cautious. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, that would be daft. I saw another one that I thought would do the job well and placed the order. I waited for its arrival, feeling pleased with my choice… until it arrived. It was only 1.5m long. I had done it again!!

I couldn’t believe it. Neither could Sally (well, actually she could believe I would be daft enough to make the same mistake twice). I couldn’t understand how, when I searched for ‘5m extension cable’ I kept ordering 1.5m cables. And then I realised. A search for ‘5m’ would also reveal ‘1.5m’ cables. My use of the search engine was not specific enough.

That one got sent back. I was just glad that it was online rather than in person as I would have felt really embarrassed having to face the shopkeeper three times, apparently buying what I needed and each time getting it wrong.

How often are we caught out by not being clear enough? Having a vague idea of where we are going usually involves aimless driving around until we are willing to stop and ask for directions. And ambiguity in what we say (spoken or written) can cause unnecessary hurt and angst in relationships.

Precision can be really important in life as well as ordering extension leads.

Be blessed, be a blessing

(I have ordered another extension lead, but beat the system by ordering one that is 3m long… unless someone is selling 1.3m leads!)