We all struggle, including me. We have seasons of difficulty, or disappointment, or of destruction. Creation can rise from the embers, or even the ashes, like a phoenix on the wind.

Ever hear of the expression “caught between a rock and a hard place”?

Well, I’m caught between at least five rocks and five hard places. I’m not writing that in the spirit of “poor me” but, rather, admitting reality.

Yes, it’s painful. Reframing how I think about the circumstances I find myself in, I try to look at it as I’m being polished in a rock grinder of God’s creation. Seeing myself as a gem? Not happening — yet. I’m working on it.

I have to laugh when it comes to pundits saying an individual should focus on one thing, putting thousands of hours of practice into it to achieve mastery. While that may work for Tiger Woods, it doesn’t work for women like me.

I have so much on my plate that I need to tend to, and, also, personality-wise, I couldn’t do the same thing day in, day out, with almost obsessive regard.

Boring!

But, I can learn to let go of what I need to let go of.

If life is a smorgasbord, I can not only learn to put smaller portions on my plate, but also grow in discernment about what to put on the plate. And, even, *gasp*, throw away some of the food on the plate if it no longer pleases and is not the best.