Lesson #6: Things are only as difficult as I make them

Friday morning I got off the J train at Canal Street, hoping to find an easier walk to East Broadway in order to catch a Dim Sum Express to Washington, DC. As I maneuvered through the myriad of one-way streets that make up Chinatown, I noticed a parking meter technician stop to fix an apparently broken meter.

By the time I reached him, he'd already popped the top and pulled out the guts. He reached into his tool belt to retrieve what was needed to rectify the problem and pulled out a butter knife.

I gagged and laughed at the same time.

"Isn't there a specific tool for that?" I asked.

"This works better," he said, smiling. "If I use the tool I'm supposed to, I'll be here for 20 minutes."

I watched as he reset the device and put it back together in less than a minute.

Just like the traffic and safety department, many of us tend to make life just a little more difficult with the "extra." At least I do.

During my relationship I would bend the truth, when faced with certain questions, to avoid making my partner feel some type of way. I convinced myself that I was sparing feelings when I was simply avoiding confrontation. I lied when the truth would have done very nicely and the lie did nothing to change the fact that I am now alone.

On Friday morning, rather than get off the F train at East Broadway (requiring I change trains at Delancey St.) and walking directly to the bus stop. I got off at a totally unfamiliar stop that required I navigate my way through the maze which is Chinatown. I'm kind of glad though because I recognized a lesson and gained some inspiration.