TFT Episode 5: Uncertainty Is Worse

🎙 Episode 5: The Devil Left the Door Open

Some heat is weather. Some heat is... something else entirely.

This week, Archie and Shelly explore moments when something slipped through that probably shouldn’t have. Archie brings a tale involving a mysterious toolbox, an endless supply of useful problems, and a lesson in knowing when to leave well enough alone. Shelly shares a family story passed down from Maw-Maw—complete with rattlesnakes, raccoons, and a camping trip that very nearly came undone.

Also in this episode:

• Porch philosophy from Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Paul Sartre
• A look at the things we let in—on purpose or by accident
• Unexpected pests, unexpected wisdom, and just a little bubble gum

💬 Listener Vote:
Which tale felt more like something cracked open? Cast your vote at notquiterightgoods.com/pages/two-frogs-talking or @notquiterightgoods on Instagram.

🛍 This Week’s Tee:
From the Southern Sayings collection: “The devil left the door open.”
Wear it when the heat hits hard—or when the unexpected comes knockin’.

Transcript

Archie 0:01

Hang on a second. Miley. Ah. This dang thing just kicked on by itself.

Shelly 0:06

What kicked on?

Archie 0:07

The, the window unit. Hold on. You can't hear it?

Shelly 0:12

No.

Archie 0:12

Well, the sound canceling software is doing its thing at least, but I gotta stop it. It's blowing hot air.

Shelly 0:18

You're kidding.

Archie 0:19

I'm, I'm serious. It's like someone set it to toast.

Shelly 0:22

Um, can't you just turn it to cold air or Better yet, turn it off.

Archie 0:27

Now. Don't you think? I tried both. It, it's the on off switch that's got me mad. I, I hit it three times. Nothing.

Shelly 0:34

Well, maybe it's possessed. Want me to call a priest or a repair guy?

Archie 0:39

If if it's the same person, send them both.

Shelly 0:42

Oh no. Ah.

Archie 0:46

Alright. Hang on. We're everything's all right. I am trying to reach the plug, but it's behind the metal shelving unit with my socket organizer, my jar of screws, my nails and things, and that busted belt sander I haven't let go of yet. Don't judge.

Shelly 1:05

No judgment. I'm just. I'm silently imagining the shelf tipping and a cascade of washers and loose screws burying you alive.

Archie 1:14

Well, that's mighty kind to you.

Shelly 1:15

I try my best. Oh.

Archie 1:19

Alright. But if that shelving unit tumps over, I have bigger things to worry about than washers and screws. I mean this, this thing's a beast.

Shelly 1:28

Ooh. Sounds like the devil's left the front door open, installed a smart thermostat.

Archie 1:34

You know this. This is why I keep everything analog. If it turns on by itself, I can turn it off unless the plug is behind the shelf, then I just stew in my own overcooked air.

Shelly 1:47

What are the chances you fix this anytime soon?

Archie 1:51

None. I'd have to shove too much out of the way.

Shelly 1:54

Should we reschedule?

Archie 1:56

Nope. No. No. Not not for this. We might as well record. You wanna start the intro? You are sure? I'm sure if I pass out, just keep going. I mean, maw-maw always said the show must go on. So even if that's when Arch is sweating through his underwear.

Shelly 2:17

Well then, okay. Are you ready? Yeah. Okay. Here we go. Hi there. I'm Shelly.

Archie 2:24

And I'm Archie. Welcome to the porch for

Shelly 2:28

Two.

Archie 2:29

Two

Shelly 2:29

Frogs.

Archie 2:30

Frogs.

Shelly 2:30

Talking.

Archie 2:31

Talking.

Shelly 2:32

One part telling tales

Archie 2:34

one part talking life.

Shelly 2:36

All parts. All parts. A bit,

Archie 2:39

a bit

Shelly 2:40

not.

Archie 2:41

Now quiet. Quiet. Right. Now, it happens to be pretty apropos that my window unit is on the fritz blowing hot air all over the place.

Shelly 2:50

Ooh, it's like it knew today's theme is"the devil left the front door open."

Archie 2:54

Yeah, it is gonna start feeling like that in here pretty soon.

Shelly 2:57

I think the saying's pretty self-explanatory. If the devil left his front door open, then all the heat from hell would spill out.

Archie 3:05

Like it's doing in my garage.

Shelly 3:07

But it can also mean that if a door's left open, then something can get in that's not supposed to,

Archie 3:14

or you might go to close the door and find out it won't shut.

Shelly 3:17

So today's stories don't necessarily deal with the heat from hell, but they definitely deal with something being where it shouldn't.

Archie 3:25

And not going back where it should.

Shelly 3:27

Oh, and we've settled on what we think is a good format for these episodes.

Archie 3:31

Oh, mm-hmm. Uh, subject to change, of course, if we find we need to, but it seems that something's missing if we don't include a family tale.

Shelly 3:39

That's right. So each week one of us will bring you a tale from the family's story chest, and the other will tell a classic tell with maybe a personal twist.

Archie 3:48

Right then it's up to you to vote, continuing our family tradition of weaving tale and honoring the tale spinners.

Shelly 3:55

Arch, do you remember when you told your first story on the porch?

Archie 3:59

Oh, do I remember? Like it was yesterday. And for the folks out there, there's no hard and fast rules on who can tell. You just decide to do it when you're ready. If you're ever. Some folks like to take in a story, but don't care for putting them out, and that's okay. It takes all types, as they say.

Shelly 4:17

Archie holds the record for a youngest storyteller in our family, and I was in my thirties before I was ready to give it a go.

Archie 4:25

And look at you now. All caught up and holding your own. Uh, by the way, what makes you bring it up?

Shelly 4:31

Don't know. Just curious. And you were only eight when you started.

Archie 4:37

Okay. Now, hey, I. I'm getting up there in years, but my memory's not that bad.

Shelly 4:42

Sore subject?

Archie 4:44

Not at all. I have no problem remembering what I ate for yesterday's lunch or where, where I put that spare key.

Shelly 4:52

All things folks, he most certainly does not remember.

Archie 4:56

Uh, she's got me there. Now. If we're done discussing my memory and before I faint from the heat, should we get to telling?

Shelly 5:04

No time like the present.

Archie 5:06

Well then. Start us off'cuz

Shelly 5:08

It's my turn this week to bring the family story. So I've got one that comes straight from maw-maw, or Agnes, if we go by her given name, back when she was a teenager.

Archie 5:18

Oh, I do love a good Agnes tale.

Shelly 5:20

In this one, her daddy, Eugene, decided the family was overdue for a proper camping trip. Not in the backyard this time, but out in the real woods. Full on adventure. Alice maw-maw's mama, and Eugene packed up the old truck with tents, gear, food, and the three kids, Agnes 14, Larry 12, and Ronald just 10. And when I say packed, I mean packed. There was barely room to breathe.

Archie 5:51

Mm-hmm. That was back when you could ride with a few young ones in the bed along with all your gear. And you never know what may come in handy out in the wild, best to just throw it all in.

Shelly 6:01

That was definitely Alice and Eugene's approach. They figured that they weren't hiking the stuff into the campsite. It was a pull up and park scenario. So take more than you need.

Archie 6:11

I can get behind that approach.

Shelly 6:13

Well, trouble started not even 30 minutes out of town. The truck got a flat. And of course no spare. Eugene had taken it out to make room for the cooler.

Archie 6:25

A classic mistake.

Shelly 6:27

But this was Eugene we're talking about, and he wasn't about to turn back. Nope. Instead, he patched that tire with bubble gum and inflated it with a hand pump that somehow just happened to make it along for the ride.

Archie 6:41

Now, see, that's innovation under pressure. I, I can't get my bubble gum to even stay in my mouth while I'm working on my truck, Betsy.

Shelly 6:48

Well, it stayed put and they made it to the campsite, limping on a dodgy tire. And, they're all excited about making it to the spot and everything is falling into place. They've got plenty of time to set up camp before the sun starts setting. The birds are chirping, the wind is gently rustling the leaves and there's flat land to pitch a couple of tents.

Archie 7:12

Ah, and I see where you pitch your tent is paramount to your sleeping comfort. Don't want too slanted. You don't want bumpy earth. That's no good.

Shelly 7:20

And they thought they had won the tent pitching lottery. I mean, it looked perfect, but as soon as they tried sticking their stakes in. Well, the stakes wouldn't get stuck in. The ground was as hard as all get out. The stakes bent like paperclips. The ground was that hard.

Archie 7:40

You know, was bad when the ground's fighting back.

Shelly 7:43

So Eugene, he sent the kids to gather rocks to hold down the tent cords. Ronald found a good pile of them and led the family ever to gather some. Now what Ronnie didn't realize was the rock pile was home to another creature and that creature was none too happy about having its home dismantled.

Archie 8:03

Uh oh.

Shelly 8:03

So there Ronnie is excitedly grabbing a rock while everyone looks on. The next thing happened in a flash. Eugene snatches Ronnie out of the way with one hand and snatches a snake with his other.

Archie 8:17

Just like a snake handeler.

Shelly 8:18

Except Eugene wasn't that versed on snakes. I mean, sure he'd come across some now and then, especially water moccasins. But this was a rattler, and he jerked it up out of its hole, holding it right behind its jaw. Like a professional.

Archie 8:33

Nope. Nope. No, thank you. I'd have been in the truck doors locked, rolling up the windows. Keys or not.

Shelly 8:40

You don't know what you do if a loved one was in danger.

Archie 8:44

Well, not true, but he, I mean, he just grabbed it with what? Confidence and a prayer.

Shelly 8:48

Well, it seems that way. I mean, maybe it was some sort of natural instinct. I don't know. Oh, and get this, they ended up grilling that snake alongside their hobo packets for dinner.

Archie 9:00

Now that is one way has shown that snake, who's boss

Shelly 9:03

Maw-maw said by the time dinner was done and the sun setting the whole day didn't seem bad at all. They sang songs, Eugene on the banjo and Alice on the harmonica. They told stories of course, and when it was time for bed, the kids crawled into one tent and the parents into another. All seemed good.

Archie 9:26

Beautiful. Hmm. And that is when the other shoe always falls.

Shelly 9:30

And fall it did. Maw-maw and her tent woke up to the sound of rustling loud, persistent, coming from right by where they'd stored the food. Now, they'd been smart enough not to keep it in the tents, but they hadn't hung it in a tree either.

Archie 9:48

Rookie mistake.

Shelly 9:49

Maw-maw said it sounded like something big. Bigger than a squirrel or an a possum. Could have been a hog or worse, some forest creature with a taste of foil wrapped potatoes. She desperately needed her parents, but she didn't dare say a word. Any noise may draw the attention of the creature.

Archie 10:10

Whew. Can you imagine your parents are right there, but you can't call out to them?

Shelly 10:14

No. And can you imagine what Alice and Eugene were thinking? I mean, they must have been terrified for everybody's safety.

Archie 10:21

I mean, Eugene's already saved a kid from a rattler, now this.

Shelly 10:24

Right. Well, maw-maw figures, she has to do something, at least get eyes on whatever is feasting on their supplies. So she motions for her brothers to stay put and stay quiet. She finally works up the nerve to peek out through the tent flap and just as she does, she sees her daddy come charging out of his tent in nothing but his underwear, slapping two shoes together and whooping like a banshee.

Archie 10:52

Okay, now that that's a Southern solution if I've ever heard one. Underwear, shoes, and sheer volume.

Shelly 10:58

In the moonlight maw-maw said he looked like a cartoon hero. Barefoot wild-eyed, making a racket loud enough to wake up all of Alabama.

Archie 11:07

A good thing the kid tent was already awake, or that might have resulted in some wet breeches.

Shelly 11:11

Oh, well, it did nothing to stop the invaders. They had more interest in the kitchen supplies than in Eugene.

Archie 11:21

Kitchen supplies can be replaced. Eugene, on the other hand

Shelly 11:23

Well, he had no reason to be concerned for his safety. The invaders ended up being a family of raccoons: mama, papa, and at least two little ones. They froze. Blinked at Eugene, and then went right back to rustling through the cookware. Like he hadn't made a sound.

Archie 11:42

Disrespectful and persistent. Those raccoons had no fear in their hearts.

Shelly 11:47

No, they didn't. And when his first tactic didn't work, Eugene lowered his shoes, cleared his throat, and said, real calm."I think we got off on the wrong foot. Y'all are welcome back for breakfast, but could y'all head out now? The kids are trying to sleep and y'all are making a racket."

Archie 12:06

Oh, I, I forgot about that part. He negotiated with the raccoons.

Shelly 12:10

And I kid you not, maw-maw swore those raccoons listened. Like they understood. Maybe not the whole speech but the vibe, absolutely.

Archie 12:20

So sometimes all you gotta do is act reasonable and the other party will follow suit.

Shelly 12:25

Mm-hmm. But it didn't end there. Next morning, while Eugene was frying up eggs and the coffee was percolating that same raccoon family showed up again. Lined up just at the tree line, like they'd come for seconds.

Archie 12:37

I can't even get my neighbors to return my Tupperware and Eugene had four pawed critters returning for seconds.

Shelly 12:43

They came back for breakfast! And that's how maw-maw's first camping trip became family legend. Not just a camping trip, but the"Raccoon Family Breakfast."

Archie 12:55

Mm-hmm. A maw maw classic. Thanks for reacquainting me with it. I'd forgotten the detail about them grilling that snake.

Shelly 13:02

How could you possibly? That sticks most in my mind. That and the image of Eugene busting out of the tent slapping shoes, and only in his underwear.

Archie 13:11

That little raccoon family lined up for breakfast. That's a good,

Shelly 13:14

oh, it is. Holding out their little mugs with their little paws.

Archie 13:19

Well, now can raccoons drink coffee?

Shelly 13:21

Well, as the story goes, they did that day at least the mama and the papa did. Mm-hmm.

Archie 13:26

Yeah, I figured giving the little ones coffee would probably be a step too far.

Shelly 13:30

Well, when did that ever stop anybody in our family?

Archie 13:34

Not too often and good thing.'cause some of our best stories come from just that.

Shelly 13:39

I'm just thinking of the time Jason got into Uncle Frank's thermos without anybody noticing.

Archie 13:45

Yeah, he loved his strong coffee sweet and half cream. Uncle Frank that is.

Shelly 13:50

Good thing'cause that cream diluted the caffeine. Otherwise, poor Jason would've vibrated out of the house and down the street.

Archie 13:57

As it was, he was bouncing off the walls for hours more energy than a jumping bean. Aunt Evelyn was furious with Uncle Frank leaving his coffee thermos unattended.

Shelly 14:06

Yeah. He never made that mistake again.

Archie 14:09

Who, uh, uncle Frank or Jason?

Shelly 14:11

Jason did look miserable after a while.

Archie 14:14

Well, there's only so much jittering a being can take. I mean by hour four he was done.

Shelly 14:19

But the coffee wasn't done with him. No, sir. He had to ride that out for a couple of more hours.

Archie 14:27

And then, and then he just collapsed. You remember the head right into the dinner plate, mashed potato beard, all his energy just spent. Man. Whew. Speaking of spent, uh, how's your story? Anything you got to add to the raccoon breakfast or should I get going on mine?

Shelly 14:47

I'm all told out. It's your turn.

Archie 14:50

All right. Lemme just wipe all this sweat away from my eyes.

Shelly 14:54

Oh, are you okay?

Archie 14:55

Oh, I'm just cooking. Just dandy. Alright. Whew. So this one is, uh, older than dirt and twice as dusty. Now we're headed back to ancient Greece, land of marble statues and gods who couldn't leave well enough alone.

Shelly 15:12

Oh, there are so many stories out of that place we could keep visiting each week. Which one are you going with this episode?

Archie 15:19

Well, it's a, it's a little thing known as Pandora's Box.

Shelly 15:23

Ah,

Archie 15:23

But here's a fun wrinkle. It wasn't a box at all. Nope. Nope. It was a jar, a big old clay jar like a, the one you'd s store olives in or secrets you didn't want anyone sniffing around. But somewhere in the fifteen hundreds, some scholar fellow mistranslated it and ever since it's been a box.

Shelly 15:43

Well, that is really interesting Arch, but if you only think about it for a second, I mean, you'd realize a jar makes more sense than a box. I mean, how many box shaped artifacts are there from that time compared to jars?

Archie 15:57

That's right, but Pandora's box sounds so much more dramatic. Apparently, Pandora's Jar sounds like she opened a bad batch of Fig Jam.

Shelly 16:07

Yeah. Pandora's Jar just doesn't have the same ring as Pandora's Box.

Archie 16:14

Mm-hmm. Now the, the story goes that the gods in their infinite boredom decided to make Pandora, the first human woman. Lovely, curious, full of potential, and gifted her with this sealed jar. But there's a catch.

Shelly 16:31

Oh, there's always a catch when Greek gods are involved.

Archie 16:34

Sure is. Now they told her not to open it. Now, I don't know about you, but if I get a locked container and someone says,"don't look inside," well now that's a guaranteed way to make me peek, and I don't think I'm much different in that way then most.

Shelly 16:50

You know, I was reading the other day, turns out there's actually been studies on why people do the thing that they're told not to do. Like Pandora wasn't just being dramatic. There's psychology behind that.

Archie 17:01

Oh, for sure, for sure. That's called the Pandora effect. That's a real thing. You see folks get curious even when they know there's a downside. You know, one study had people shocking themselves just to see what it feel like. No prize, no reason, just curiosity wearing clothes.

Shelly 17:20

I can't believe people shocked themselves for no reason other than to feel what it feels like to be shocked.

Archie 17:26

Not everybody but a, a, a surprising number did. The study showed that it's not always about wanting good outcomes, like a reward. Sometimes we act because uncertainty is worse than not knowing.

Shelly 17:40

Hmm. That tracks, I mean, you tell someone don't look over there and suddenly over there is the only thing they can think about.

Archie 17:47

Yep. Curiosity don't care about consequences. It's got a louder voice and if you also happen to be stubborn, like a certain cousin I know.

Shelly 17:57

Okay. Rude but fair.

Archie 18:03

Alright. All right, so let's back to Pandora Now. She's got this jar slash box. Mm-hmm. And she opens it and out comes all the world's troubles: disease, despair, hard work, bad knees, broken hearts, you name it. They fly out like wasps at a summer picnic, just chaos buzzing into the world.

Shelly 18:26

A swarm of any kind is no good, but a swarm of all the world's troubles. Oh, yikes.

Archie 18:33

Mm-hmm. Pandora is horrified by what she'd unleashed. And quickly she slams the lid shut, and when she does, she traps something down at the bottom of the jar.

Shelly 18:44

See, and this is the part I don't quite get.

Archie 18:46

Well, why not? I mean,'cause hope is trapped while all the bad stuff floats through.

Shelly 18:50

Yeah, exactly. Instead of letting hope free into the world, she traps it.

Archie 18:54

Well, that's one way of looking at it. Or you could see it as being protected and there when you need to pull the rip cord. Tiny and quiet, but still there.

Shelly 19:04

Well that is a very optimistic view. I side with the gods are more cruel than not, and hope is left there more as a taunt than as a gift.

Archie 19:13

Well then uhm a little miss pessimistic. This story I've got is right up your alley.

Shelly 19:18

Oh, is it now?

Archie 19:19

I believe so. Now I ain't saying I believe every strange thing I stumbled across, but sometimes a story don't leave you with much room to argue.

Shelly 19:29

And this is one of those.

Archie 19:30

Sure is. See, years back I was helping clean out the back of an old barn that hadn't been opened in decades and tucked behind a stack of warped lumber and wasps nests was a metal toolbox. Dusty and a bit rusty, but solid, latches still sealed tight.

Shelly 19:49

And knowing you, you couldn't keep your hands off of it.

Archie 19:53

I sure couldn't. Uhuh, of course, it, I, I asked if it belonged to anyone before I started poking around with it, but nobody claimed it, so I took it home.

Shelly 20:02

Did you really need another toolbox?

Archie 20:05

Now, you know, I didn't, okay. But this one seemed, I don't know, rare. There was a tag on it. One of those old brass ones like you'd see on a locker, you know, and it just read,"Handle with care. Tools do not return."

Shelly 20:21

That's curious.

Archie 20:22

It is. And I was, now, I, I figured that that tag meant that whoever owned it must have had a time getting his tools returned to him. Uh, that maybe it was a gentle reminder to him and, and not so much a warning to me.

Shelly 20:37

It's never a warning for you, but usually an invitation.

Archie 20:42

That's how I like to see things. You know me well, and of course, curiosity got the better of me.

Shelly 20:48

It always does.

Archie 20:50

It always does. Yep. Now I open the box and inside it was clean as a whistle and as organized as maw-maw's utensil drawer. Remember that? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Every tool you could want was in there, wrenches, pliers, a hand drill, even a full socket set that clicked together like magic. Whoa. Now the problem was when I went to put the set back, there was an identical one in its place. There was no room for the set I'd just taken out. So I, I laid it on the side there. I took out a screwdriver, you know, just to test the weight of it. And when I turned back, another had taken its place just like the one I had in my hand.

Shelly 21:33

A magic toolbox.

Archie 21:36

A magic toolbox. Now, the evidence was staring me right in the face, but I thought I was seeing things, so I took out the hammer. And wouldn't you know it, another one appeared same make, same weight, same everything. I don't know what compelled me, but I took out each one of those tools and each time a doppelganger took his place. Oh, you must have been surrounded by tools. A mountain of them. I mean, I tried giving tools away to, to the neighbors, at the church rummage sale. I even set some out on the side of the road with a for free sign and it, it didn't matter. They somehow kept replenishing in mounds in my garage.

Shelly 22:18

Little mounds of tools scattered around your garage. Whoa. That would be a sight to see. Folks, Archie keeps his place neat and tidy. I, I don't know how you dealt with it.

Archie 22:31

Well, I'll tell you eventually I got a second very large toolbox just to hold the overflow. I filled that one too, and that's when I knew this wasn't a gift. It was a responsibility.

Shelly 22:46

Well, what did you do with them?

Archie 22:49

What did I do? I sealed them both on up. I tuck the original one under a workbench and, and the big one's parked in a far corner of the shed, wrapped up in a tarp, and both are far away from where I usually reach. I haven't opened them since. Now, some things, once you take'em out, you can't put'em back, no matter how useful they seem.

Shelly 23:11

Even though nothing evil came out of that toolbox, still messed things up.

Archie 23:16

Right, right. It wasn't demons or dark spirits that came spilling out. Just the sneaky kind of trouble that shows up in useful clothing. The kind you let in with good intentions, and before you know it, your garage is buried in tools.

Shelly 23:29

So the door you left open was the latch on that box.

Archie 23:34

Mm-hmm. And what came out wasn't fire and brimstone. It was clutter, responsibility and just enough usefulness to keep you from closing it all the way when you know you should.

Shelly 23:45

Makes sense. It's like not all messes start loud. Some creep in nice and quiet till they take over your whole space.

Archie 23:55

I never thought tools could be such a bother.

Shelly 23:57

I bet. Well, anything else to add?

Archie 24:01

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sweating. What was that?

Shelly 24:04

I said, do you have anything else to add?

Archie 24:08

Oh, oh, no, no, that's all.

Shelly 24:10

So folks, those are the tales. Who told it best this week? Was it Archie and his Pandora's toolbox of non-returnable and ever replenishing tools?

Archie 24:20

Or was it Shelly with a maw-maw Classic. The ill-fated camping trip turned raccoon breakfast.

Shelly 24:26

Remember, Miley's keeping a weekly score and the Great Tale Off winner will be announced on our season finale. We're still taking suggestions on the winner's prize.

Archie 24:36

You can head over to our podcast page at not quiterightgoods.com to make suggestions, vote or just drop us a line. You can also vote on our Instagram page at NotQuiteRightGoods.

Shelly 24:48

So Arch, we've come to the spot in the episode where we turn from telling and tales and look inward.

Archie 24:54

Mm. You know, I, I've been thinking a lot on how once things get going, they can get outta hand. Once you open that door, well, it's easier to keep the door shut than undo what's done once it's opened. Like all those mounds of tools. Benjamin Franklin once said,"It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them." And that really kept coming to my mind as I was preparing for the story this week.

Shelly 25:21

That's a good one. Arch, I mean, you opened Pandora's toolbox and found out you can't just put things back once they're out. Keeping the door closed on a mess in the first place is perhaps worth a thousand cleanups.

Archie 25:33

That's my thinking. I figure if, if you can keep your tools where they belong or even better keep'em locked away, you avoid all the unintended chaos.

Shelly 25:42

But what if in avoiding the chaos you shut the door on possibility?

Archie 25:47

Well, yeah, I, I guess that's an approach to some take. It's not for me though. I'd rather not sit in the chaos on the off chance a life lesson or whatever might come my way.

Shelly 25:58

But that's exactly what you did. With the tools. You made a choice to invite in chaos when you decided the message didn't apply to you and look what happened.

Archie 26:08

Yeah, I learned a valuable lesson, but, but that was the younger me making choices my current self wouldn't make.

Shelly 26:14

It doesn't matter. You made it and it shaped you.

Archie 26:19

Yeah, it did. I, I take your point.

Shelly 26:22

Okay. Well, mine, this week isn't quite on theme, but it fits where we are. My quote this week is a line from Jean Paul Sartre,"we are our choices." Our lives are shaped by the choices we make, right? It's not just about whether to choose chaos or not, it's also about how you deal with it.'cause you can't always choose whether the door is left open.

Archie 26:47

I hear you and I like it. You make a choice every day to pay attention to act, or to let the chaos roll in, and sometimes like on those days when chaos gets its way and slips in, our choices, in those moments, define us.

Shelly 27:04

Right? I've seen it firsthand when warnings go unheard and distractions take over. But it's our choices, even the small ones that shape our world, whether it's deciding to open up a mysterious toolbox like you did. Or in the case of Eugene, invite the raccoons for breakfast in order to save breakfast.

Archie 27:25

Eugene ended up with a story that's worth retelling and I've got two tool making toolboxes, gathering dust.

Shelly 27:32

We are our choices, Archie. We are our choices.

Archie 27:37

Point well taken, Shelly. Man, it does get you thinking. How does a simple phrase about the devil letting in hot air, which by the way, I've got sweat in places that I'm not comfortable mentioning. Right. Oh. How does that lead us to pondering the meaning of our choices?

Shelly 27:55

Well, I bet you're pondering the choice of blocking off access to the plug to that unit.

Archie 28:00

Yeah. It's not blocked entirely. It's just gonna take some effort to get to it. That's all. Who. Boy, it is boiling in here.

Shelly 28:08

Like the devil left the door open.

Archie 28:10

Mm-hmm. Just like that.

Shelly 28:11

There's a t-shirt in the store that says the same thing. It's part of Archie's Southern saying series.

Archie 28:17

Perfect. For when life gets too hot to handle or for when your AC decides to turn the heat on all by itself.

Shelly 28:24

Or when raccoons crash, your breakfast and your toolbox won't stop giving. You can find it along with the rest of our products at not quite right goods.com.

Archie 28:32

And remember y'all, if it's too warm out there, it's probably'cause the devil forgot to shut the door.

Shelly 28:38

Thanks for sitting with us a while.

Archie 28:40

You're always welcome on the porch.

Shelly 28:42

Bye

Archie 28:43

Bye. Oh my Lord. Is it hot in here? I need to get out from under this thing before I'm cooked.

Joe 28:53

This has been a not quite right goods production. Starring Joe Laureiro as Archie and Holland Renton as Shelly written, directed and edited by Holland Renton. Music sourced via Descript stock library.