The other day, I was finishing my GED class attendance sheets. Part of the process is to scan and upload the attendance sheets to the data center before the end of the day. Well, my printer started to act up just as it has for the past six months. When it started acting up last year, I purchased a new printer; that’s what the average person would have done, correct? I put the new printer in my storage bedroom, and it’s been there all these months. I guess I was saving it for a rainy day.
The printer continued to malfunction. It was getting on my nerves. It would have been so much easier to get up and hook up the new printer, but rather than facing the NEW and UNFAMILIAR challenge, I continued to fiddle around with the connections to my old mess, as I have been doing in the past. I was becoming more frustrated by the minute. It’s during these times of frustration when God whispers, “Why don’t you get the new printer?” Of course, I know better, and that’s what I should have done, but I continue to fiddle with the connection until the printer decided it had had enough; it was time to move on.
I grabbed the new printer from the bedroom; I tore open the box as loads of papers fly up in my face. With the directions in hand, I am ready to attack this task. Then reality sets in; I’m making a change. All of a sudden, I’m tired. I don’t feel like doing this. Why should I continue to frustrate myself; besides, I’m hungry. I don’t feel like reading directions, even though they were simple pictures. I have connected printers before; I can get this one connected and finish with my work. Thirty minutes later, I’m almost in tears because I can’t get the ink cartridge in. I get past that hurdle, and I can’t get the password to work. I’m looking for the number to call the printer manufacturer, which you know won’t do any good; they no longer employ humans.
Finally, I decide it’s just not worth it; go back to the old printer.
How many times have you given up in the middle of the process? It’s always easier to go back to the more comfortable situation rather than allow yourself to be stretched and turned into a new and exciting direction. I learned a few important lessons from my experience with the printer that I feel will help during challenging times.
- It’s easy to go back, resist the temptation to return to the familiar.
- When time is of the essence, take the time to understand.
- You will gain knowledge and wisdom during the process.
- Don’t get caught up in the struggle and forget about the prize.
I finally got the printer working. It is an absolute joy to use. It was so easy to scan the attendance sheets I was looking for other things to scan.
“It’s not in the destination; it’s the journey.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
