not all problems are meant to be solved

It has been suggested to me: 

that not all problems are meant to be solved,

that we can walk around obstacles obstructing our way rather than moving the obstacle itself,

that troubles are often the product of behavior over time.

So I need to give this some thought. In earlier years I had the energy and determination and belief that I had to "do something" in order to overcome my troubles. 

• What if I had simply looked for a path that would circumvent that mountain?  
• How different would my circumstance be had I "taken the road less traveled"? 
•  Would I or my circumstance be better, improved?

Can I embrace this philosophy today? 

For example: my house is a mess and I keep thinking all I need is a block of time and energy to get it cleaned up. The thought literally sees it as a mountain to be moved...one boulder at a time. But boulders break, rocks crumble and then there is the sand to deal with.

What if I step to the right of Mt Calamity? 

Will there be a road sign pointing me in the direction of avoiding future piles of paper. The challenge calls out "change the habit or accept it"!

I am thinking I want to try this if for no other reason than I worry and fret too much. I would rather meet the day with eagerness instead of dread or regret. It could lead me into a wilderness but that would mean I needed an adventure, right?

We become what we measure

"...The king was in the counting house, counting out his money..." 

Wish I had a kingdom 👑and needed a house for my riches. 

What a lovely thought. But what kind of life would I have  if the best part was sitting in the counting house?

Contrary to popular belief, keeping count will make us neither rich nor royal. What I have seen is, we tend to become what we measure. 

• How many hours, what was the score, calories eaten, dollars earned or spent, miles driven, temperature?

Keeping a running total is not a bad thing. There is satisfaction in making a goal, measuring progress and attaining the end.

Here is the rub, the focus and love of the "game " removes us from the essence of life. The nourishment and nectar is in the living.

If there is a pot of gold at the end of our rainbow 🌈, I hope I have the strength and wisdom to dance a joy dance, fill my pockets as full as I can and then get back to the journey. 

As Martin Luther King Jr said"...the means and the ends are inseparable".

$$$###1 2 3 4 ABCD

Do things that scare you

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Do one thing every day that scares you".

Full disclosure; I am the biggest scared cat around. Just reading and internalizing those words makes me shiver. (note to self: here is the "thinking and doing" part you always talk about). I am thinking that there are different kinds of fear.

In my defense, I am brave at times. Some mornings just getting out from under my warm covers to face the day is frightening, but I do it. But doing something fearful every day? Oh Eleanor, I don't think I could.

There are things I have done in spite of my fear. I can remember many years ago I would hyperventilate if I had to make a business call or a doctors appointment...but I did it. I don't like to drive to an area that is unfamiliar and I have gotten lost doing it but I drive on. And there was the time I had to walk across a long train trestle with two toddlers in hand...I am afraid of heights and bridges!

Some people like to feel the adrenaline rush but I doubt that I will ever even bungee jump.

Someone once said "Take your fears to tea". To me that means more than doing what you don't want to do. Don't just sit across the tea table and converse. Turn the fear around and upside down and interview it. Many fears once faced turn out to be unfounded.

I once feared becoming a lonely old woman. I am now alone, an elderly woman, and I am just fine! At least that is what I tell myself!