I decided to paint my pantry. Now, painting a pantry sounds easy, but because my house does not have a basement, this 5×10 room I call the pantry also houses the furnace, washer, dryer and air exchange. So, the painting of this room really requires a higher degree of yoga flexibility than it does painting skills.
On the second evening, I was trying to paint around the furnace and various pipes, vents, and hoses. I could not seem to get a stool that would get me high enough that would fit in the confined space close enough. A discouragement melt down ensued during which I wished I had never started. My husband, listened to my whinge and then said,“For tonight just do what you can reach.”
I went back into the cramped corner and just painted what I could reach. No longer trying to strategize and plan, I just painted with the only goal of doing what I could reach; I’d solve the unreachable another night. I just focused on the areas I could reach and, in fact, after all those little efforts I had painted the entire wall and ceiling around the furnace! I did not even realize that I was painting with success, I simply kept reaching into the paint can and painting the small patch in front of me that I could see needed paint.
Lots of times I have had a discouragement meltdown – I think we can all feel that emotion, when the issue seems too big, the solution too far away, the task too mighty. Then with little steps, small wins, days broken down into hours – or even minutes – the goal gets closer, the solution arises, the work gets done. Just paint the small patches, the wall takes care of itself.
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