326 One Scrape at a time

We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.  (AA 60)

I was sitting on my front porch trying to enjoy the beauty around me: trees, birds, squirrels, and deer, but was disturbed by something I had been ignoring. I knew I would have to do something about the paint peeling on the banister. This defect is only getting worse so I thought about my options. I could strip off all the paint and give it a new coat paint job, or I could tear the banister it off and replace it.  Neither option seemed appealing.

If I opened a can of paint and slapped some on, that would only be a half measure; a shortcut that would mean more work later. I knew to make it right meant scraping off the old and putting on new paint. In the long run, that would be the easiest thing.

However, if I only repair the banister, the rest would look dingy and cracked. The perfect solution was to scrape, clean, and repaint it all but that felt overwhelming. I thought about the slogan “Easy Does It.” One Scrape at a Time came to mind. I did not have to do the whole job at once. I could do part this weekend, part next weekend, and so on. I would persevere and eventually have a nice looking front porch.

I will contemplate how this applies to my recovery while I scrape and put on a new coat of paint.

God, help me be diligent as I do the hard work of recovery.