Some months ago, I dropped in on a social-media discussion prompted by one of those evocative photos of a cabin in an idyllic setting. (You know the type.) One woman said that every day she wishes for such a life. And really, who wouldn’t?
In her comment, she used words like safe, peaceful, warm and, repeatedly, soft.
Again, those might be worthy (if fluffy) aspirations. But in looking at this woman’s profile, it was obvious that she expects her ideal life to land magically in her lap. She appears willing to do only two things for herself — wish and wait.
I dunno, maybe someone will give her what she wants. I wouldn’t bet the farm on it, though, because in the main, that’s not how it works.
To coin a phrase, soft is hard.
Moments of peace are possible, but a life of ceaseless ease is a myth. Ditto safety. The warmth of friendship is an active pursuit, and physical comfort rarely is achieved without effort.
Want the view? Climb the mountain. A crackling fire? Bring in the wood. Peace? Fight like hell.
I stood at the edge of the woods this morning, absorbing the world that is The Mountain. I was at ease. I felt peace. I was wrapped in the warmth of my natural surroundings.
It was, without a doubt, a soft moment.
No matter where I looked, however, none of what I saw got that way by me wishing and waiting. From the cabin to the camper, the cleared brush to the crushed stone under my feet, even my very presence here, everything was the result of action, effort, work.
“Now put the foundations under them,” Thoreau advised us of dreams. Building a foundation is work. Dreams don’t come true by acclamation or repeated affirmation. We have to invest the effort.
Despite the popular perception that labor somehow, someday ends and leisure begins, work never stops. And it shouldn’t.
Maybe you saw a video making the rounds recently, a young woman blubbering about how horribly tired she was at the end of every work day and after a 40-hour week. She whined that because she’s gainfully employed — at a job that doesn’t even pay her bills — she had no chance of having a life.
Not a word about taking on a second job to help her meet her financial obligations. Perish the thought. She did, however, tearfully confess that she just wasn’t cut out for the whole work thing — certainly not 40 hours a week.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of a loser. How pathetic.
She’s typical of people who aspire to a soft life. They expect it. Indeed, they insist that they’re entitled to it. But they’re unwilling to work for it.
At this point, you may expect me say something about maintaining a “work-life balance.” There was a time when I believed in such a thing. I don’t anymore.
The whole concept of “work-life balance” is bullshit.
Work and life aren’t separate things. When we divide our lives that way, either or both (as we’ve defined them) will suffer. It’s unavoidable.
We don’t get it right ’til we realize that it’s all life. Work is essential to everything.
Wish your wishes and dream your dreams. Then work your ass off and earn what you want.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB
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