microwaved potatoes
I was sitting in a coffee shop and thinking of the words I should write for this post. I looked up and saw a quote that resonated with me.
“It is certainly true that you can’t judge a book by its cover, nor can you judge a books first chapter -- even if that chapter is twenty years long.” -Father Greg Boyle
Hmm. Interesting words to unpack. It spurred some pondering in me! How true is it that we so quickly judge ourselves, situations, and others.
We love boxes. We love when things make sense and feel good. A 20 year chapter?!? Are you kidding me! ( Can you hear the judgement??) I want things to come to fruition fast. Like popping a potato into a microwave. Forget the process of cutting it, seasoning it, pre-heating the oven, and then waiting 45 minutes for the darn thing to cook. Lol… “I want it easy and I want it now.” I think it’s safe to say that we are saturated in a culture who is obsessed with fast results and all kinds of judgements if we don’t get them. A few examples as follows:
“7 days to a six pack.”
“How to make $1000 a day”
“How I lost 20 lbs in ten days”
On one hand it feels easy to say “only one chapter in 20 years, that’s gotta be grueling and boring and just plain slow!” What if we saw it differently though! The journey is interesting and detailed and it’s only chapter one. There are more chapters ahead, but it all starts in the here and now.
How is this chapter in your life? What’s the setting? Who are the main characters? What are the twists and turns? What are you like in this chapter? What’s been changing? Has anything been growing?
Maybe it feels like this chapter sucks. Maybe it feels like the last thing you want to do is stay in this moment. Maybe you’re frustrated and tired! My challenge would be to stop waiting for chapter 2 to start. Focus on the next line of this chapter, what’s the next page hold? How can you continue to write and create and take small actions in the now?
The truth is we don’t know what’s to come in the following days, years, and chapters. Our job is not to judge them, but to simply just be in the days, years, and chapters ahead.
Much love,
Kims
