There is a joy to trudging
- Karen Wilson: Family Corner
- November 22, 2019
- 1232
So, are you awake and excited to meet the challenges of a new day or not so much?
Generally I like to be up early, happy and enthused about what I’m doing. I often gain energy from the enjoyment of the task.
But life happens. Although I love the change of seasons and gorgeous leaves, my sinuses do not. I seem to endlessly blow my nose, sniff and try to get oxygen into my system. Remedies may work for a bit, but then it’s back to sinus distress. I wake up groggy and tired from less than restful sleep. My mood suffers.
But life goes on. The laundry still piles up. Everyone gets hungry and looks at me. The kitchen needs to be cleaned. The cows need to move to the next pasture. The chickens want to range. We need groceries.
So instead of being enthusiastic and upbeat, I trudge. It’s definitely not my first choice. But curling up on the couch with a blanket, a box of tissues and an audiobook will just let things stack up and the cows can’t wait.
I’m not incapacitated or ill; I just don’t feel like doing what needs to be done. But does that really matter?
I look at it this way: The more I get done while I don’t feel like doing it, the more I’ll enjoy doing things when I feel better because I won’t be bogged down by a backlog of things I neglected earlier.
I once read about a man that was praised for accomplishing great things. When asked how he did it, he said something to the effect that he had learned to trudge, to just keep doing a bit at a time.
Whether I’m destined to accomplish great things is probably in doubt. But at least I’ll get the kids and the cows fed and a load of laundry washed.
I know the bounce in my step will come back. I’ll get a good night of sleep. My season of allergic reaction will end. I’ll find time for a long workout. Or I’ll have a soul feeding break.
In fact, just getting things done through trudging along gets them off my list and off my mind. That alone helps to lift my spirits and improve my mood.
Knowing I did what needed to be done whether I felt like it or not, I won’t feel guilty when my kayak hits the water and I paddle down the lake on a gorgeous day. What could improve my mood more?
So discover the beauty of trudging. It may not be pretty at the start, but the end usually works out well.