By this morning we were supposed to have ticked all the boxes on the to-do list and had planned to take a trip to Bristol Zoo with Charlotte, Rob and the boys, if the weather was dry. So apart from the fact that there were still unfinished items on the list and that it was raining cats and dogs intermittently, Bumble had a very sore neck, the result of overdoing the manual work during the path construction.
A day that was going to be filled with the wonder of beautiful animals and the fun of being with C & R and the three boys, turned into one of pain and anguish. The neck problem is a legacy of a whiplash injury many years ago, but B, being B, just has to get involved with the lifting and carrying, despite being a bit prone to aches, pains and injuries.
Being the real trooper she is, she insisted on coming with me to get a few things from the shops, when she should really have been tucked up, snug and warm, in bed, being pampered by yours truly. Not a chance really, though I did manage to get her to rest when we got back home. and I think the toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel and mug of hot tea was pretty well received.
We can both learn lessons from the episode. B has to learn to take things a little bit easier when it comes to heavy manual work. She’s no old granny, although she is a granny, but nor is she the spring chicken she might like to think she is. I have to learn to look out for, and after her, though sadly I didn’t know about the neck injury until today.
Fortunately the pain is subsiding, with the help of a few painkillers. But the whole debacle could so easily avoided if we had both taken a large dose of wisdom before we started the project. It won’t happen again, I’ll see to that.
Looking back at the events of the past few months, I have issued myself a warning not to rest on my laurels. Buddhist practice is like a dog, for life, not just for Christmas, and must be part of your very being. 
As any physics student will tell you, for every action in the Universe, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s a law of physics, but also a law in Buddhism and a great way to track your progress. How can resistance be a good thing? It’s easy to think that it can’t. But actually, it’s a great way to measure progress.
Well it’s taken a whole week to get here, but finally Friday has arrived again. I know what you are saying, you were going to fill every minute, of every day, with sixty seconds of gainful employment, and I have. But doing that doesn’t stop me being pleased that, arguably, the best day of the week has put in a much appreciated appearance at last.
So here we are again, it’s Wednesday and the week is already half gone. It seems that I spend half my life wishing the time away and the other half trying to slow it down. That is rather sad and a real waste. So I’m going to put that to rights.
The title sums up my life right now, well not quite, but there’s a lot of both going on at the moment. Strangely, there’s a deal of similarity between the two in some ways. So you think I’ve been breathing in too many undercoat fumes lately? Ok, let me explain.
Life is punctuated by a series of problems and challenges, but what is the real difference between them? Generally speaking we call situations we can deal with, challenges, and those we fear we cannot deal with, problems. But actually, the difference is in our own heads and depends more on our life-state at the time the situation arises.
We are very similar, in many ways, to steel reinforced concrete, in that much of our strength comes from within. The pillars of motorway bridges are immensely strong because, apart from the toughness of the concrete itself, they have a rigid steel structure embedded within them.
When experiencing failure or disappointment, frustration or illness, we tend to lose confidence and let fear overtake us. 
When you devote yourself to achieving your goals, you will not be bothered by shallow criticism. 
The Search For Enlightenment 
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