No way out but through

In some situations, maybe even a lot of situations, there is no way out of the problem without going through it.  For example, for days I've been glancing out at my back yard.  All of our tropical plants are brown.  After the unexpected freezes this year in Houston our normally green haven is mostly brown and crusty.  Sigh.  If anything has any hope for coming back, we've got to cut away all the dead stuff to let the living parts live.

For the longest time I've been putting off the task.  Some of those plants have huge three inch spikes.  No matter how much protection I put on, I know I'm going to come out of the experience bleeding.  Finally, a couple of days ago the weather was decent.  There weren't any more excuses I could fall back on, so I took in a deep breath and started chopping.

The first thing I discovered was that all of our cutting tools are in poor shape.  Then I realized that it was oftentimes easier to simply break away the dead parts and not worry so much about cutting.  After one long marathon, I finished what I could do in the front yard.  Once I get going, it is very hard for me to stop.

Of course, it was the back yard that really has me rattled.  We're on a corner lot.  Our landscaper was overly enthused and we were naive enough to let her do whatever she wanted.  The result is too much work.  This isn't some simple one marathon task, more like four or five.  But what choice did I have?  Someone had to do it.  If I waited too long the plants would die.

I dove in again.  This time it was really nasty.  The palm spikes were running right through my heavy duty gloves.  One sank itself into my arm like a quilting needle.  Another slid into the space down the side of my thumbnail.  There was blood, long scratches, fire ants.  At least now I know what is going to live and what we've got to replace.  I did it.  I'll have to do it again.

The thing is, I don't have to do it again.  I could just leave things as they are and deal with the consequences.  I could have ignored the problem entirely.  About two months from now I'd be feeling pretty sorry since we've got an open house due around then. 

There comes a time for everyone when they've got to face their demons, or they will never get to where they want to be in life.  I'd like to have a nice yard in two months.  We'll see how that goes.  When I was in school there were times when a test came up and I wasn't ready.  Ditching class only meant that I'd have to deal with more problems, plus the test.  It was better to do my best at winging it on the test, to just get through the task, take a few thorns, so that I could move on with my life.

My youngest daughter just went through a monumentally difficult time.  She was in the hospital for a while, missed a lot of school; getting back on top of things was a task which seemed larger than life.  As usual, for her however, she forded her way onward.  It meant a lot of compromise on her part - like taking tests when she didn't feel prepared, and turning in homework which wasn't up to par by her standards - hard shots for a kid who expects something better than perfect from herself.  She's been a really tough trooper.  She could see what she had to do in order to get where she wanted to be.  You'd think her grades would have taken a hit.  I suppose they did according to her standards.  Instead of A++ work she's only doing A+.  It looks the same on a report card.

I could give you more examples.  I can't count how many times I've told myself 'The only way out is through.' before plunging into the thorns.  There is no doubt that I've earned my fair share of injuries in the process.  But, if I keep my eye on the ultimate goal, rather than the small obstacles which might immediately entangle me, I've found in every instance, I can not just survive, but thrive and move forward.

Conveniently, right now the window blinds are drawn.  I did happen to clear the side of the yard which is more visible.  From where I sit (my favorite perch), I would be able to focus more on how much has been cleared (a smart move on my part), rather than what needs to be done.  The rest will get finished.  Now I'm looking forward to planting flowers, moving on to the living things. 

Talking can only get you so far, then you've got to do and keep on doing even if it hurts, even if it seems like things won't work.  The only way it won't work is if you do nothing.  Is that what you want?  A yard full of dead plants?  I didn't think so.