Image: Flickr/jason jenkins

So this morning, I was flipping through my routine news sites to see what was going on in the world. Apparently, it’s a pretty slow news day so far. I read about 6ft. long lizards on runways, what the pope thinks about Obama’s speech at ND, and this doozie of a headline.

Are you ready for it?

Why repairs in space are so hard…

Hmmm….I don’t know….could it be because THEY ARE IN SPACE?????

Do you mean to tell me that this is the best some crack writer for msn.com could do? But maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe we’ve gotten to the point as a society where we think everything should be getting easier and easier as we get more and more sophisticated with technology.

If so, then we’re headed down a dangerous path. The desire for ease and comfort is understandable. We live in a hectic and stressful world and it’s nice when something doesn’t take much effort. We get ourselves into trouble when we start thinking that nothing should take much effort. We want quick fixes and simple solutions and we want them NOW.

Case in point: Diet aids. How many informercials have you seen that promise you rock hard abs in less than 5 minutes a day? (For the record, I am just as guilty of buying into these lies…see my post on Tony Little’s Rock N Roll Stepper) Some things in life just aren’t meant to be easy – because they are also meant to teach us something. Parenting is the prime example.

Kids are messy, they don’t come with instruction manuals, and they seldom make our lives easier. If you want that kind of performance, get a crock pot. (No, seriously, get one…they are amazing)

Go against the current here and recognize that some things in life, be it repairing a space station or raising a kid, are just plain hard. They take work, patience, skill, and determination. I think you’ll be surprised how much easier that makes everything seem.