The Way

Sitting with the discomfort
Of something unfinished
With no clear sense
Of what to do next.

It is easy to get frustrated
And give up the struggle too soon.

Sometimes the frustration becomes
An overwhelming desire to run away.

Fighting the urge to quit
All too frequently
Turns the effort into an obsession
Where effectiveness fades away.

Strike a balance.
Don't run away,
But don't get lost in the struggle either.

Accept the discomfort
With an open hand
And work
Until there is genuine fatigue.
Then step away and rest.

Come back
When it is a calm, free,
Decision to do so;
Not before.

Spend energy on the work
Not on the struggle
Over whether or not to do it.


	4 March 2002
	by Bill Cattey