Recently life has been a lot of hard work, but productive and fruitful work. We have spent long hours and countless days working but not without reward and indicators along the way the we are indeed moving forward.
It’s summertime and the living is easy
Fish are jumping and the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich and your mama’s good-looking-George Gershwin (I stand corrected on the author)
There are times when the work is so hard it seems like you are hitting a brick wall and then other times when the reward comes easily without any resistance. While I believe in hard work and a ‘certain’ degree of planning maybe fate or karma do hold a percentage of influence on the ‘resistance’ we face moving forward.
For instance, yesterday I was sitting at the dining room table literally counting our change agonizing over wether we should spend the money and buy a small quiet generator for the sailboat for our three week trip. The sailboat has no inboard with a big alternator, no solar panels, no wind generator, and we are anchored nowhere near a 110v outlet. After a few days of even mild use, the one measely battery would pretty much give up the ghost and we’d be stuck without running water, lights, radio, etc.
As I was sitting there literally in pain over how much of our hard earned cash reserves the generator would cost, I glanced over at the mail that had accumulated last week and a good friend had sent me a letter. I opened it and there, low and behold, was a check for darn near the exact amount of the generator! Is that good timing or what?
Now we own a generator!
In this case, I would suggest the ‘resistance’ to moving forward was very low. I’d like to think I was running with the current of Fate or Karma in this instance and I was swept along aided by the unknown forces around us. OK, a little hokey, but I sleep well at night.
There have been times when everything seemed like an uphill battle. Every decision was painful and every outcome less than optimal. In these cases, maybe it’s time to Ying instead of Yang and change course and take a different approach. Maybe it’s your attitude, maybe it’s the timing? Who knows?
Here’s what I do know. Life is a science project. We learn things by empirical knowledge- meaning we do things and either they work out or they don’t. If they work out, we do them again (in theory). If they don’t work out, we adapt and try a variation on the same theme until it does work. This, in the plainest of terms, is called success.
If you have a goal and things aren’t working out and you feel like you’re pushing a boulder up a long hill maybe you should step back and try a different approach. Keep trying different approaches until the resistance fades and you are riding with the current in your favor. Sometimes that means a dramatic change in plans. So be it. The current was too strong.
I know, I just mixed two metaphors. As an old friend used to say, I don’t mix metaphors, I mince them.
There’s a lot to be said for a positive mental attitude and persistence.
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Hey JC, I love what you’re doing. Thanks for sharing. It makes my struggles seem more managable.
FYI, “It’s summertime and the living is easy…” is from the 1935 opera, Porgy and Bess, by George Gershwin. Sam Cooke did a great version as did Billy Holiday, Ray Charles and Janis Joplin.
Keep on truckin’. (that was by the Grateful Dead) 8-D. I hope you make it.
Sincerely,
Tom H
El Cajon, CA
Hi Tom-
Thanks for the correction on the lyrics, I’ll change it now.
I don’t know what else to do but to ‘keep on keepin’ on’
All our best,
JC
Oops! I spelled “manageable” wrong. I feel like I just shot myself in the foot. I stand corrected, too. 8-D
Sincerely,
Tom H
El Cajon, CA
If the shoe fits….
Truckin’
Lyrics By: Robert Hunter
Music By: Jerry Garcia/Bob Weir/Phil Lesh
Truckin’ got my chips cashed in
Keep truckin’ like the doodah man
Together, more or less in line
Just keep truckin’ on
Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street
Chicago, New York, Detroit and its all the same street
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings
Dallas got a soft machine
Houston too close to New Orleans
New York got the ways and means
But just won’t let you be
Most of the cats that you meet on the street speak of true love
Most of the time they’re sitting and crying at home
One of these days they know they gotta get going
Out of the door and into the street all alone
Truckin’ like the doodah man
Once told me “Gotta play your hand
Sometimes the cards ain’t worth a dime
If you don’t lay them down”
Sometimes the lights all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
What a long strange trip it’s been
What in the world ever became of sweet Jane? (note 1)
She lost her sparkle you know she isn’t the same
Living on reds and vitamin C and cocaine
All her friends can say is ain’t it a shame
Truckin’ up to Buffalo
Been thinking you got to mellow slow
Takes time, you pick a place to go
Just keep truckin’ on
Sitting and staring out of the hotel window
Got a tip they’re gonna kick the door in again
Like to get some sleep before I travel
But if you got a warrant I guess you’re gonna come in
Busted down on Bourbon Street
Set up like a bowling pin
Knocked down, it gets to wearing thin
They just won’t let you be
You’re sick of hanging around, you’d like to travel
Get tired of travelling you want to settle down
I guess they can’t revoke your soul for trying
Get out of the door, light out and look all around
Sometimes the lights all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
What a long strange trip it’s been
Truckin’ I’m a going home
Whoa, whoa, baby, back where I belong
Back home, sit down and patch my bones
And get back truckin’ on
Hi JC,
Good post as always. Glad that everything worked out for you with the generator. Out of curiosity, what kind of generator did you end up getting? Will you be able to use it in the RV too?
You’re posts are providing lots of inspiration to those of us who are looking to break free and live simply!
Best,
Bill
Hi Bill-
We lucked out and got a Honda 2kw EU (quiet version) for a good price. Luckily, the motorhome has a 7kw Onan generator that needs a little tuning but works pretty good.
Break Free Bill- you can always go back! Do it while you can.
Regards,
JC & Fam
Doug, my good friend-
You know us too well. We’ll see you and you’re organic gardens soon!
All our love,
JC & Fam
It’s OK Tom, I never did mind the little things (La Femme Nakita, US version).
JC
Doug-
I love that line.
JC