The daily struggles of life can often catch up with you and it doesn’t take much or very long for it to become overwhelming. Sometimes, we don’t even recognize that there’s a problem until someone is “helpful” enough to point it out. I put the word “helpful” in quotations, because we don’t always want the help or advice that’s provided or feel that it’s warranted. When it’s in your personal life, it can come in the form of unsolicited advice. If it’s in your professional life, it may sometimes come in the form of an obligation as it isn’t exactly ideal to ignore the requests of one’s employer.
But regardless of where the advice or requests are coming from, your day and in fact even your week can quickly get away from you. Time flies, not only when you’re having fun but when you remain consistent and steadfast in what you do. I’m reminded of yesterday, and how I was so immersed in the project I was working on at my job that I was a half hour late into the end of my day before I realized what time it was. I messaged my wife and explained I would be coming home shortly and that I had lost track of time. The bigger joke is that I could have easily kept working without skipping a beat. Tempus fugit, and all that…
I recently described the daily grind of life to someone, and I found the thought came to me, well… without thinking! I explained that life is a little bit like trying to roll a boulder uphill. You already know the boulder is heavy. You already know it’ll be hard. You’re also acutely aware that if you give up and let go, you’ll be crushed under the weight of that boulder; in other words, everything that life will spill on top of you if you let your guard down.
Life in its generalities is very much the same way. We know it can be hard and we know it forces us to carry a weight on our bodies and souls. Such is life. It was never meant to be easy. Without difficulty and challenge, we would finds ourselves unable to grow and prosper. Humanity would never progress in its evolution. But if you give up and let go, there’s a very real chance that life will dump a whole bunch of consequences on you that one typically won’t want to deal with.
All that being said, when one is pushing their boulder up the hill, it’s important to recognize that the only way to reach the top is to remain consistent. It won’t happen by simply giving the boulder one solid shove and hope it reaches the apex. Only through steady and consistent pushing and rolling will you manage to get the boulder to the top. Once on the top, you may find yourself surprised by the fact that it only takes minimal effort to support the boulder and keep it in place.
If we apply this concept to life, you may struggle and have difficulties. But only by staying consistent and steadfast will you overcome your struggles and reach your desired outcome. Once there, you’ll find it’s much easier to sustain and maintain the standard of life you’ve created for yourself. As long as you don’t take the fact that the boulder is at the top for granted, you won’t risk having it roll back down, likely crushing you as it passes. Such as it is, with life.
Last but not least, never forget that the boulder will be easier to push to the top of the hill if someone is helping you do it. Much like sharing the weight of the boulder, the problems of life become easier when faced with someone by your side. As the proverb says, “A problem shared is a problem halved.” And best of all, once you get your boulder to the top, having someone to share the burden means you can even let your guard down, once in a while. And rest from the rigours of life. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 