What Is

I used to like things to be easy. Sometime during graduate school, I realized that I was often looking for the easy way. There is nothing wrong with efficiency and why struggle for no reason-that’s just crazy! Yet, there is an endurance muscle that I believe is key to thriving in life. How do you handle challenges, delays, and times when life is not easy? Maybe it is a good time to stop and be grateful? It sounds counter-intuitive but there is a loveliness to moments of stopping to rest and just be thankful for the pause, even being thankful for the challenge. Many times this gratitude is the key that unlocks the door to your next opportunity. Don’t forget to pause. Even if you do, opportunities will naturally come up to give you the chance to wait, rest, and endure. 

Poem: “What is”

When the elevator stops between floors
And that pit settles in the stomach
The gear gets stuck and refuses to shift
The realization that forward momentum is paused

Like that mid-air shot 
Neither here nor there
The mind can picture crossing the river
But, the body isn’t yet there

How much can be hatched?
Pushed through like a thin piece of dough
Like water falling softly over the head
Landing with a pitter-patter

Instant gratification taken for granted
Some things must churn and turn
And bake and take shape slowly rising
Over long nights of tedious tending

No one prefers the long way
Searches for the inefficient path
Yet, these so called detours
and time-wasters may be saving us