Recently I heard an interesting story that just makes you think. A woman was watching TV with her two children and saw a commercial. In the commercial people were struggling with a difficult situation. Their challenges were everything from a dad changing a diaper to a brain surgeion doing a new procedure. Each time a big red button appeared that read "EASY". With one touch of the easy button all their problems suddenly disappeared.
Turning to her tow children, ages 7 and 15, the mother asked, "Would you like an easy button in life?" While the teenager nodded yes the seven year old said a forceful "NO". Startled, the mother asked why not? "Because then you couldn't work hard and get better at things", was the reply.
Personally, I might have voted a strong "YES". When life gets too busy and things are becoming challenges it is natural to want an easy way out. Yet, some of the best things I've learned in life have come through difficult times. Today, I'm a better spouse, parent, business person, friend and a hostess of other things because I kept going through the tough times.
Over the years I have found various ways to help walk through the hard times. One of my favorite ways is to look past the present situation and focus on the joy at the end of the trial. This has worked well, even for my son when he went to the doctor's office. I encouraged him to picture the time when we are walking out the door. Another favorite method of coping is to take one day at a time trying not to allow myself to borrow trouble. Sometimes that even included not taking life too seriously. And finally, I am learning to count the blessings of the day. There has never been a day I couldn't think of at least a dozen blessings however small.
There are no easy buttons in life but everyone has their own way of making it throughthe challenging times. Some people can even do it with a smile on their face! I'm not always the one with the smile, but I have learned, tough times don't last, they just teach me to be a better person.