Response to 'The Trick'

These are great, Emily. So many of the things I love in life become chores, and then I hate and resent doing them. Even loving can become that way. And yes, you have to trick yourself. My garden became like a glaring beast demanding care. I resented my garden! It was work. Don’t I work hard enough? So I reminded myself I love gardening, and that it doesn‘t matter if it gets done, what matters is the feel of the earth, the taste of the food, the actual doing. And then the work feels good. I’m outside, breathing the air, sweating even if it’s cold. In the summer, I remind myself to go outside in the evening, not to write but to weed and putter. If I putter about every day I feel good, and the garden is weeded, and I have time and opportunity to pluck stink bugs off the pole beans. If I pluck them off each day, they don’t breed, and then there are fewer, and they go away without sucking all the life out of each bean.

Running and writing and cooking and caring for kids and loving are all like this.

Thanks!

JF