Okay New Mexico fans, let’s get this done with. I’m not saying those of you who like New Mexico are wrong. I’m just saying that New Mexico has had it out for me for a very long time. Observe:
1. I got jumped in New Mexico. True story. At a Village Inn. Why? Because New Mexico collectively hates me.
2. I own a car in New Mexico. Yep, a car. This isn’t cool like having a summer house or cabin in Angel Fire. It’s more like your transmission goes out in the middle of nowhere (read: pretty much anywhere in New Mexico) and it ends up being more economical to walk away from the car, onto a bus, and buy a new car sometime in the future.
and
3. New Mexico consistently sits between me and where I’m trying to go.
I went to school in Manhattan, Kansas but came from Tucson, Arizona. Why? That’s another blog. Whatever the reason, I spent hours, hours, driving though New Mexico. Driving away from Arizona was fun because it was always the start of something new. Driving in Kansas was okay because it meant I was on the home stretch.
Driving through New Mexico was just that space between. That long, often dark, , generally dangerous, space between. New Mexico meant that I was too far in to turn around but still not close to where I was going. It was trying and depressing.
To me, this is similar to the process of accomplishing anything worthwhile. Starting a new project or goal is exciting and accomplishing it is amazing, but the road between is hard. It’s hard, humbling, lonely and at times monotonous. And it’s supposed to be. It has to be or everyone would do it.
I wanted to jot down these thoughts to remind myself, and anyone else out there who’s going after something worthwhile, of a few things:
1. Just because it’s hard doesn’t make it wrong. In fact, it probably means you’re growing. Remember, the best things take hard work!
2. Don’t quit. On the hard days, at the very least just show up. When the excitement’s lost or you’re too tired to go on, you can still show up.
3. It gets better. You get better. You get closer.
So, hang in there. There’s nothing like making it out of New Mexico!
