Do you ever catch yourself wishing that things were easy or saying things like, "Why can't this be easy?" or "I want this to be easy!"? What do we mean by that? Do we actually mean that we want a life that is effortless, where we never have to exert ourselves or stretch ourselves in any way? I don't think that's actually what we mean when we're wishing and hoping and longing for easy. I think if we didn't have things to work toward and strive for, we'd get bored. I don't think we really mean "easy" at all.
So what do we mean when we wish for easy? I think we might really be longing for a clear path--knowing where we're going and the steps to take to get there. I think it's the uncertainty of what comes next, of what our next move should be that makes us wish for that chair on the beach and effortless days.
I think when I find myself complaining that something is too hard, that I wish it (whatever the current "it" might be) was easier, I'll remind myself that easy isn't what I'm looking for. Instead of asking how things can be easy, I will ask myself "how can I clear the way to move forward?" Semantics, yes, but I think it's important.
Does this relate to my ROW80 check-in and NaNoWriMo? Oh yeah. I've been whining to myself for the past two days that this next section is too hard, I want it to be easy, why won't it be easy? Today, just a little while ago, I realized it was the wrong question. I don't actually mind spending hours writing, staying up a little too late, skipping other things to get in some words. So it's not easy I'm looking for. What I'm really needing is a focus, a plan, a clue. So the question I need to ask myself is "how can I figure out what I need to write next?" "How can I make the next section make sense as a lead-in to what's going to happen after?" "How can I plan things so I don't have so many stops and starts and stuck places?"
Maybe just writing along getting all the thoughts down, knowing the basics of what I'm going to put in that spot before I get started is a form of ease. I don't know. But I do think I need to be focusing more on how to know what I'm going to write when I sit down rather than focusing on how I want things to be easy. Because the truth is, I don't care that much about easy. I just want to get my words flowing again.
What would you like to have going more smoothly in your life? What would you like to get unstuck? How can you clear the way for yourself to do the things you want to do?
too true - if things were easy all the time where that great sense of satisfaction when acheived -and the human race would never have progressed to us writing anyway:)
all the best with your goals and plans- know you will suceed:)
Exactly, Alberta. I love that feeling when I've done something I wasn't completely sure I could accomplish.
I don't know. Sometimes wanting things easy really means you want them easy. Like yesterday, I was taking apart a toy my daughter out grew, but I wanted to save for a future generation. I wanted it easily taken apart, but it wasn't. A multi-tool, 2 butter knives, and an hour later I finally succeeded. But, seriously, that should have been easier.
Though for the things "worth having" to be easy... I think we'd appreciate them less if it were like that.
You are so right! The ordinary things--making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, taking apart toys--I think I do want those to be easy. I'll have to revise my thoughts. 🙂