Choosing Easier

I have a tendency to make thing more complicated than they need to be. If there are two ways to do something my first inclination is to to pick the more difficult way. I have definitely gotten better at trying to take the easier path but it takes a lot of will power on my behalf and it is usually after I have spent a lot of time planning the more difficult version of what needs to be done.

Holiday preparations are the kind of thing that I can make way more complex than they need to be and that's exactly what I did this year. I spent hours thinking about what I was going to cook for Rosh HaShana. I looked at cookbooks and online. I wrote down recipes that I wanted to use and then changed my mind over and over again.

The same thing was happening with my Sukkot preparations. Since becoming more interested in crafts this year I had visions of a beautiful, lush, green sukkah. I spent hours on line looking at silk ivy garlands trying to figure out which ones to buy. I was also spending a lot of time figuring out what we should hang from the roof of our sukkah (things like gourds, apples, pine cones, and of course lots of hand made decoration). I just couldn't get that vision of what I though our sukkah should look like this year out of my head.

It occurred to me as I was making a shopping list today that all this was ridiculous. All that was going to happen was that I was going to overwhelm myself and start the upcoming holidays overworked, resentful and in a really bad mood.

Thankfully I realized this just in time to stop myself from making this mistake. I decided that I would try one new recipe for a somewhat easy apple cake and make a tray of brownies for the rest of our meals. I have also decided to just do a rainbow themed sukkah with the girls. They will love it and it will be much easier to do. Now tomorrow won't be a disaster. I can do a little cooking, hang out with the kids and make colorful sukkah decorations with them and most importantly if I don't make things difficult for myself I will definitely be in a much better mood for the New Year.

Comments

I think this is a great decision. I am exactly the same but I find that there has to be a good balance, and that there is so much value in not-overdoing. If we are attuned to ourselves we can sense when we're going over the top and cut back. It's a good lesson to model for our children as well.
Anonymous said…
I've been doing "easier" for a long time. We still eat very well, b"h and I am less grumpy.
Christine,

I agree that it's a good lesson to model for our children. The earlier they can figure this out the better!

Popular Posts