Combustion, Coffee Mugs, and Doing Hard Things

on doing hard things

“But what if I can’t?” asked bird.

“But what if,” replied fox, “you can?”

Mobiles: Shadowleaf and Fireleaf Blue

Thoughts while making
“Contents under pressure.”

It’s a warning label.

And it's slapped on the side of this cardboard box, filled with spray paint for my mobiles.

But it might as well be a statement of our times, of us, of you and me.

Turning the box over in my hands, I see:

“Fragile.”

“Hazardous.”

“Combustible.”

And I couldn’t agree more.

…

I also have this mug.

There’s a photo of my younger brother on it.

It’s my favorite.

Every morning, I pour yesterday’s coffee into it.

Then, I heat it up in the microwave.

I spend the first moments of the day with him.

And this makes me happy.

Because he has a golden heart.

A few weeks ago, I dropped it.

The mug.

And it cracked.

But not all the way through.

So only a tiny bit of coffee seeps out.

Each day, however, that crack grows.

From the pressure.

And the heat.

Of the microwave.

Expand.
Contract.
Expand.
Contract.

And a little more coffee seeps out.

It’s inevitable that – one day – the mug will break completely.

And coffee will spill everywhere.

Yet, I keep putting it back in the microwave.

Again and again.

I do nothing to fix it.
I do nothing to replace it.
Nor do I try another mug.

…

We like what we like.

We know what we know.

Even when it is:

Fragile.
Hazardous.
Combustible.

Even when the outcome is already determined:

Change is still hard.

But, it’s imperative.

The crack will not seal itself.

These cracks will not seal themselves.

Especially when the contents remain under such pressure.

Yet, as Glennon Doyle says, “We can do hard things.”

With hope.
With heart.
With work.

Let’s, shall we?

What can you lean into today to help create the change you want to see in the world, in your life?