Nothing Good Ever Came Easy

Nothing good ever came easy.

You have to work at it to make it worth it.

And a dozen other cliches about getting outside of your comfort zone.

And I couldn't help but think about a few friends and situations recently where certain individuals chose to take the easy way out. They just didn't want to put forth any effort. Why should they? There's an asbestos lining to every pretty cloud, right? If it isn't completely convenient and handed to you on a silver platter at just the precise time, there is no point in trying is there?

I'm so glad I don't think this way. Ever. 

This week a friend discovered something new about me and commented that I am an "onion with a million little layers." I laughed and said it was more accurate to say that I have a short attention span and like to try new things. And that was when it hit me. Its not so much that I go searching out so many new things. Its that I'm not afraid to put forth effort to try the things offered to me.

It breaks my heart how so many people lead limited lives, or cut themselves short in the fun and interesting department because they are just too busy not trying. Heaven forbid they leave their little cocoon and do something new or unexpected.

It just makes me sad.

What spurred this thought process today?

I met a beaver today, up close and personal.

I chose to do the thing that required more effort. I chose to drive a little longer than usual. I was willing to try the thing that doing something unexpected.

That thing was going down the Alpine Slide in Park City. Yes, this meant driving a little longer and getting out of my comfort zone. Yes, it meant braving the chair lift. And it meant going alone. It meant making an effort.

As a result, there was nobody around to see the beaver with me. It was one of the funniest and most unexpected moments of my life. There I was zipping down the slide, loving every second of it, wondering what on earth that thing up ahead on the track was?? I pulled the brake, and slowed down, thinking whatever it was might move. But no. I slid right up and stopped about 1 foot away from the beaver. It walked right up to my little sled, looked at me, I looked at him (beavers just feel like they should be masculine), he looked at my feet, and I scrambled to get my cell phone to take his picture. But he ran off into the woods, and all I got was a picture of my sled.

It was by far one of the most surreal and odd moments of my life. Me and a beaver on the alpine slide.

Beavers are much bigger than I expected, by the way. It was much bigger than my cat, and that surprised me for some reason.

But back to my point. It just made me sad. There I was having one of the funniest and most unexpected moments of my life, and there was no one to share it with me.

Going out of your way, trying a little harder, and not giving in to all those stupid little excuses to hold back, pays off.

For me it paid off in the form of a beaver inspecting my bare feet. And hoping for all I was worth that my toes didn't look like a tasty lunch!