The Thrill of Victory

I had a 'big thrill' this morning. You don't have to know me well to know I am not much for cleaning house. I make no secret of it. But I do wash myself daily and have, for years now, been concerned about my dirty bathtub. I've tried many different cleansers, but have been unable to make any real progress against the gray stains in my tub. I would scrub and scrub and scrub, then step back and look, thinking, "Hmm. That might be a little lighter gray than before."

Recently, I've been more committed to finding a solution. I collected all the cleansers and lined them up on the bathroom counter, determined that I will vigorously apply each in turn until I find one that can do, at least, some damage to the dirt. It looks like a superhero fight from a comic book: Bam!, Pow!, Kaboom!.

I have developed the 'intermittent habit' of spraying one of the cleansers on the tub right after I get out of the shower. Returning to the shower this morning, I first ran some water and tried to scrub the tub with a rough sponge. To my slack-jawed amazement, the dirt began to move! Most of it came up! Only the 'ring' where the dirt was thickest remains for later attention. I don't know why it worked this time, but not before. The bottom of the tub is a big clean spot. While showering I frequently rubbed my big toe on the bottom of the tub just to hear the clean squeak!

That's right. This is a big thrill for me. I'm often amazed at the things that little children find amusing or amazing. But I'm no different in the simplicity of the sources of my amazement. I laugh as I say this, but it's so true: it's healthy to have goals, and there's no shame in rejoicing in success, no matter how insignificant it may be to others.

So, as easy as you have found it to be to clean your own tub, I'm sure you have not neglected the task for so long as I have. I now have hope. That's right. Even from this relatively trivial thing, I have hope and inspiration for completing, not only this one thing, but also other tasks that have seemed daunting to me. Am I pathetic? Certainly. We all are, though some of us are mercifully reminded more frequently than others. Surely, everyone has some kind of challenges at almost all times. If life is easy, as we would all like very much for it to be, then we are doing it wrong! What can be learned, gained, or created from an easy life? We should enjoy even struggles because through them, we are challenged to grow and to learn. And victory is so very sweet. Over what will you have victory?