Word Crush Wednesday is a blogging event where in bloggers share their favorite quote for the week.

Yesterday, I was reading a guest post on Ann Voskamp’s A Holy Experience. The guest blogger was Artist Ruth Simons. Like all of Ann’s blog posts, the written words are interspersed between wonderful photographs. These photos were of Ruth’s family and her gorgeous watercolor paintings. As I scrolled through them, I saw one of a note card on which were painted the words:

“Cease endlessly striving for what you want to do, and learn to love what must be done. – Goethe-”

It stopped me in my tracks. Apparently, Ruth felt the same way about it, because finding love and joy in the mundane was the main point of her post.

Loving what must be done: Feeding the dogs, washing the dishes, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, and a host of other unpleasant (or at least boring) necessities. I suppose it ties in with having an “attitude of gratitude”. When your focus is on what you want to do, but can’t, or what you want to have, but don’t, you create an attitude (and atmosphere) of discontent and ungratefulness.

Obviously, this is easier said than done, but the joy often comes through challenges, doesn’t it?

Connie