Turning Boulders Into Pebbles July 8, 2014
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, Mindfulness.trackback
Life is full of challenges and obstacles.
Some are boulders; others are mere pebbles on the path. And some boulders transform into pebbles if we change the way we view them:
* Do what you can with what you have where you are.
Perhaps you don’t have time to sort through ALL your books tonight to select extraneous tomes to donate to the Library for its Annual Book Sale . . . tomorrow.
Fair enough.
But maybe you can nibble away at your collection by selecting ONE book a day to donate to next year’s sale.
One book a day may not sound like much, but it equates to 30 books a month and 360 books a year.
I can hear your overflowing book shelves breathing lighter already.
* Hardship is inevitable, misery is optional.
Perhaps you can no longer eat everything you used to eat. Maybe you’re on a salt-restricted or gluten-free diet eyeing a slice of pizza.
Instead of focusing on what you can’t eat (which will add to your suffering), focus on the delicious tastes and textures of the food you can eat.
Like chocolate!
And if that doesn’t work . . . seize the day and eat the pizza!
Life is short. You could get hit by a bus next week.
Or drowned in a tea pot.
Make the most of this moment.
Aah . . . that’s better!
How often do you transform boulders into pebbles by viewing obstacles as opportunities?
Related post: Pizza Shopping (Coffee Kat’s Blog ~ Kate)
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Spirit Lights The Way 
“Do what you can with what you have where you are.” I have that quote in a prominent place on my desk at work. I need to be reminded to be grateful to have a job and make the best of it. We all need these reminders. Thanks for posting this today.
That reminds me of another favorite quote:
* What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner. ~ Colette
I have to have a gluten free diet, but there are moments when I “seize the day and eat the pizza.” I pay for it, but hell I enjoy it at the time. 🙂
A few pizza places around here have added Gluten Free crust to the menu ~> soon you’ll be able to order your pizza and eat it too!
I long for that day, Nancy. We are only now beginning become a gluten friendly society. Still a long long way to go.
Same goes for vegetarians/vegans. I see more restaurants hopping on the GF bandwagon before offering a single vegetarian option on the menu.
Changing perspective and taking one step at a time can make all the difference.
Yes! When we pull our entire To Do List into the wheelbarrow at once, the weight is overwhelming. When we focus on ONE thing at a time, we make great strides.
Thanks for this post. Recently, in the process of clearing up my Kindle, I read through several books the presence of which I was blissfully unaware of!
Haha! Soon overflowing bookshelves will be a thing of the past as more people cart around their entire library on a Kindle.
‘Hardship is inevitable, misery is optional’, I like that quote, Nancy. Looking at what we can do in the moment is far more uplifting in the long run, than moaning about what you can’t. I cheat on my gluten/dairy free regime from time to time too! 🙂
If we only look at what’s “wrong” with our world, our perspective gets mighty skewed.
Diet is important to our health and well-being, but we should give ourselves permission to indulge in favorites “now and again.”
Love this post, and love the Colette quote you shared in one of the comments above. Perspective makes all the difference in the world, doesn’t it?
Yes! Shifting our perspective, even a bit, gives us a more objective view of reality. Instead of a myopic focus on what we don’t like (a few straggly trees), we take a step back and see all the good (the forest).
It’s a beautiful thing.
The LA Kings won the NHL’s Stanley Cup this year, despite losing the first three games of round one (only three teams had previously come back from a 3 game to none deficit in the NHL playoffs). They blew a 3 games to 1 lead in round three. The fell behind several times in games throughout the final round against New York. How did they overcome all these obstacles to win teh championship… by playing one 45-second shift at a time.
Most of life is a mental game. When we master our thoughts, we master our life. And claim the Stanley Cup!
Boulders and pebbles .. love this analogy!
For me, I go higher, so looking down everything appears smaller 🙂
Val x
Stepping back and taking the wider view helps to put our petty concerns and annoyances into perspective.
“Eat the damn pizza!” That’s what I say! (especially when you can wait for it on the beach!
I agree. Life is too short to deprive ourselves of PIZZA!
Yay! (Now I have to have pizza for lunch!)
We’re due for pizza too!
Nancy, having visited my blog today, you know how I transform boulders into challenges. Cocktail sticks for knitting needles – a real boulders to pebbles opportunity! I like the quotes.
Exactly ~ do what you can with what you have where you are. I look forward to seeing the results of using cocktail sticks as knitting needles.
I’m frequently turning that tiny pebble into a huge mountain… but I’m learning to let it all crumble back down again as soon as I realize it! Great post today Nancy!
Thanks, Kate. When we monitor our thoughts, we are able to maneuver more easily around the “boulders” . . . often kicking them to the curb without breaking stride.
Focusing on what we can have vs. can’t is great advice. It doesn’t make sense to torture ourselves. Last month, I started back on our eating plan that lowers carbs and sugars. I thought the cutback on sweets would drive me nuts, but it hasn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t have a slice of chocolate cake, but surely the one bite won’t hurt (too much) 🙂
I find that cutting out sugar quickly eliminates the “craving” for sugar ~ it stops looking like food.
I haven’t had the same experience with salty treats. 😎
After having my pity-party, I remind myself that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Then, I have another pity-party, invite some others to join me, before heading out and taking that single step 🙂
Sometimes the hardest step is the first one . . . after that, forward momentum encourages us to keep going.
Great post, Nancy! Some days pebbles can feel like boulders and other days boulders can feel like pebbles. For me, it all comes down to how I look at things. I try to turn all of my boulders into pebbles and yes, I too say, “eat the pizza!”
Yes! How I look at things (and how much sleep I’ve had) ~> I can be a real cranky pants if I’m short on sleep.
To PIZZA!
“Do what you can with what you have where you are.” ~ short and sweet and fits me perfectly right now. What a great time to read this! Great post, thank you!
Yay! Glad it’s a good fit for where you are right now, Pix.
One book at a time. Concentrate on the food you CAN eat. You could drown in a teapot tomorrow. All good advice.
Marketing my book could be considered an enormous boulder, but I’m taking it one “book” at a time.
That’s the spirit, Nicki. One book and one reader at a time. And before you know it, you’ll have plowed through a mountain of books.
Oh, wait . . . did I just turn your boulder into a mountain? 😎
* Do what you can with what you have where you are. I haven’t sorted through my books, but the example reminds me of the unruly garden between the RUC and the shed. I spent days cleaning it up and now I just pull one weed a day when I go for my afternoon walk (yes – one weed). It’s amazing how this keeps them under control! 😉
Awesome example, Dianne.
If we leave necessary “weeding” (indoors and out) until the task becomes overwhelming, it becomes a boulder ~> a nibble a day keeps clutter and weeds at bay.
So true! 😀
I tend to take small steps towards all goals. I just don’t move quickly when there is a big and overwhelming project. My husband procrastinates and then does it BIG and quickly–when he finally starts to move. LOL! We have never been able to do what the other can. But in the end we do get things done…somehow. 🙂
People have different styles and approaches to tackling big goals (and boulders) ~ whatever works, works.
BFF sounds more like your husband. I like breaking things down into manageable steps.