Hello there, we’re into the home stretch now. Just 10 more posts after this one, and then what? I’ve been thinking about that, if you’ve been here from the start you’ll know that this is a limited run newsletter. Just 50ish posts to celebrate 50 years of life. I’ve enjoyed it and would like to continue in some way, but my agreement with you dear subscriber was to not use your email past the end of the limited run.
I’ve been toying with some ideas and will send out a separate (non-numbered) post in the next few weeks to see what you think about what happens next, but in the meantime back to your scheduled programming.
I wonder sometimes if I’ve always taken the path of least resistance, even when that might not have been the easiest path but because it was what was expected of me? For example when we were clearing out our loft to move I came across a picture of my university class. I guess there was about a hundred or so of us and I remember it being taken and sitting with a couple of my friends at the end of one row.
It was always expected that I would go to university. My grades were okay and I think I just went along with the flow at the time, taking the path of least resistance. It wasn’t as it turned out the easiest time of my life but I graduated with my degree, that is still kind of relevant to what I do today. I was one of the lucky ones in that back then fees were paid by the state and I even got a small living grant. Now I would have to pay the whole lot and saddle myself with debt for who knows how many years. I’m not sure I would make the same choices now that I did then. Although maybe I would because it would have been the easiest thing to do.
I can think of other times when I’ve done whatever is easiest, but not always. Choosing to take redundancy seven and a bit years ago wasn’t the easiest choice or the path of least resistance. In some ways I’d say it’s been quite an uphill struggle at times since then. Being self-employed, trying to make ends meet.
Our recent decision to move house is also not the path of least resistance, and it is proving to be hard work. I don’t yet know whether it is the right decision but it was right at the time is was made is about the most I can say about it for now.
So if I do take the path of least resistance I’d say I probably do so more often than not. Whether that’s because it’s the easiest decision or what is expected of me. The latter less so now. I don’t really care about others expectations (or at least very few), so if it is the easy decision I’ve made it’s been done for me or those nearest to me rather than anyone else.
What about you? The Path of Least Resistance or something else?
Thanks for reading.