The Second Time is Easier

My garden continues to teach me. Yesterday I weeded a particularly challenging flower bed for the second time this season. The first time I weeded it, it seemed impossible to get through. THe weeds and grasses were thick and stubborn. When I was trying to get through it the first time, I was frustrated and discouraged. It truly seemed I would never finish and that the problem would never be 'solved.'

Yesterday, I went through the planting bed for a second time. It was challenging. There were areas of difficulty. However, it was overall, much much easier than the first time through. Some of the areas that were impossible last time, went much faster and easier this time through. The root systems seemed to have been weakened by my first pass. The grasses and weeds came out easier AND more completely this time. That means that the next time I weed this bed, it will go easier still.

IT is a great metaphor for life experiences. When we engage with something the first time, we cannot expect it to be seemless and easy. There are dues to be paid. There are trails to be blazed. We must work through the process in order for things to become easier and less challenging.

In order to get there, we must be willing to perservere through frustrations and challenges. That is the price to pay for becoming skilled and more successful.

Hang in there in new endeavors. Most things are difficult before they become easy. We must stay the course!