Progress and pain.
The former cannot happen without the latter. Don't get me wrong, I wish progress would happen without the pain caused by stretching, being pushed, being given wake-up calls (figuratively speaking) and requiring us to reassess what is worth the struggle, but that is just it, through the pain that must be endured
we gain clarity, we shed unhelpful, unnecessary habits, ideologies, relationships, approaches, and the letting go of this baggage is what lifts us to the progress we seek.
The United States is in the middle of the painful chapter that must be endured to successfully step through to the other side in a variety of arenas. We are being required as citizens of our country and as global citizens to think critically, to learn how to think critically, some for the first time. And
thinking well is uncomfortable, challenging and exhausting, BUT necessary and absolutely worth it.
I have just begun to read Lost in Thought: The Hidden Treasures of an Intellectual Life, a book that asserts that there is very little else that can bring such overwhelmingly wonderful fulfillment than
cultivating a rich inner life. An inner life that involves thinking well, exploration and navigating through our thoughts and discoveries of the world, finding appreciation in everyday enjoyments whether that be books, birds or the stars, and so long as we understand the power of our minds and how to dance with it, oh, yes, the author is indeed correct. But to achieve this rich inner life requires us to grow, to stretch, to know what thinking well entails, and that can be painful which is why
many stop at the first sign of discomfort. Push through it.
Whether pushing through to improve the quality of your inner life, the improvement of one's country for more equality and justice, something as simple as the improvement of one's home projects, garden maturation or any skill you wish to acquire but currently do not possess, push through whatever pain may be felt. Go
at a pace that allows recovery regularly, but never give up on your progress.
In today's newsletter, I wanted to bring to subscribers a mini peek into the kitchen renovation currently underway (picture above). Since the last letter from the editor/newsletter went out on the 17th of this month, the progress has begun! Much to my surprise, while there is still quite a bit to complete, my
new gas stove is installed (a tiny peek is shown above), and when I first saw it in the kitchen (I didn't know they would be bringing it into the house so soon), my eyes about popped out of their sockets in uninhibited glee. So Wednesday night, for the first time in a year, I made myself a cup of tea in my Provençal-found copper teakettle and gawked at the stove all
evening.
In fact, the strawberries you see below where picked from the garden, combined with two stalks of rhubarb, which has about completed its offerings for the season, and are in the oven about to be enjoyed as a tart paired with a cup of
tea.
Progress may take time, but it also takes determined vision and tenacity to sit uncomfortably while significant changes are made. As my contractor reminded me about a lesson that is applicable to all of life regarding who we choose to work with, partner with, choose to elect for leaders, if you choose someone
who knows what they are doing, having done it for a long time and does it well (he was speaking about the plumber who hooked up my gas-line), good things happen. And interestingly enough upon reflection, while it may take time to wait for the right person to become available or be discovered, etc., when you do find them, the progress can unfold more swiftly than you might have
imagined.
