This morning I saw a Squirrel climb one of the ladders of our old swing set. She did it to get to the top of the apple tree that lives off the Eastern side of our cabin. She reminded me that doing things that hard way is not a requirement. Sometimes taking the easier road is fine, as long as it takes you where you are supposed to go, and you don't hesitate to veer off the easy road when it starts to divert you from your path.

Then I imagined my Squirrel teacher stuck on the swing set, unable to get off to climb onto the apple tree, where her breakfast of buds was waiting. In my mind, she climbed up one ladder, across the top and down the other. Then she climbed up again, around and around in a never ending loop. This image reminded me of traps I can get caught in, where the seduction of ease blinds me from seeing what is available to me just on the other side of something difficult.

Thank you Squirrel teacher for bringing me back to balancing the value of challenge with the importance of not making thing harder than they need to be.