Some solutions are so obvious that they are ‘hiding in plain sight’ and I like to say, that “if it had teeth, it would have bitten me.” This morning, I was presented with something that simple and profound. As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, my friend Cindy Greb who writes Beliefnet’s Blessings Abound column, is visiting Pennsylvania where her parents and siblings live, from her new home in Crestone, Colorado. She is camping out in my living room. At the same time, my son is working on painting a room that will become my new office. For now, an extra sofa is hanging out between the living room and dining room, backed up against the dining room table at which Cindy and I are working. I was attempting to clamber over it, squeeze around it, balancing my almond milk, strawberry, banana fruit smoothie. Cindy grinned and said, “How about it we move the couch so you can get past it?” Duh.

How often do I make things much harder than necessary?  I guess it’s the recovering Type A-semi-perfectionistic-workaholic in me that has to make it appear that I am working soooo much more diligently than I am. It occurred to me a few years ago that if I set the bar really high and hurtle over it, then I can give myself extra atta-girl’s for it and if I miss, then I can justifiably give myself wiggle room, because ‘after all, how could I possibly have reached the goal when it was so daunting?’ I am more conscious of that dynamic these days and go for easier, more graceful endeavors. There remains a sense of accomplishment, regardless.

What are the couches in your life?  Mine look like worn out beliefs of lack and limitation, all the shoulda woulda coulda’s that I set in my way. The version of me that used to gaze back from my mirror has blessedly, gained some wisdom and actually put the couch down, since there was a time when I would have not only moved it myself, but carried it too.

These days, I’m even learning to allow for more time to lounge on it.