"All You Have To Do Is..."

"It's so easy!"

"Oh... silly... anyone can do that!"

"Why do you need help?"

And, my favorite one:

"All you have to do is... blah, blah, blah."

Every video you see on social media is the painstaking result of countless takes, hours of editing, and that's after all the prep that goes into any posting. They make it look easy. But if you've ever tried some dance moves from online, bent yourself into that yoga pose, or done any DIY projects around the house after searching YouTube, you are well aware that some pitfalls and issues crop up. Almost no one prepares you for that.

For example...

The cats had destroyed yet another scratch post. "Why don't you get some twine and a glue gun, and just restring it?" he said. "It'll be easy!" he encouraged. "And think of the money we'll save!"(Why is saving money often the reason we put ourselves through hell?"

Right.

First of all, the twine manufacturer was specific about how many yards of the twine to purchase, based on the size of the twine (did you know how many widths of twine there are?), but neglected to realize that those specifics didn't mention the diameter or circumference of the pole. Who knew there were that many sizes of cat scratching poles? Not me.

Nor was I informed that unwinding twine and wrapping it around the pole whilst holding a glue gun would be a challenge. Have you ever used a glue gun? There are nuances no one warns you about, such as how quickly you go through a glue stick, or how the glue makes waves of stringy spider webs all over the table, or how darn hot the tip of that glue gun gets.

The twine I started with didn't even finish half the pole. I'm going to let it dry for a few days so the cats don't get high off the glue smell, then set it up and see if our princesses will dare to scratch it. Last time, the scent of the twine on the new scratching post wasn't to their liking. I'm not ordering more twine until they've had a go at it.

Lest you think I've interrupted your day to give you a giggle at my expense (which I secretly hope it did), there is a lesson here, even though you may know I'm not about lessons for the most part.

Just because we've had years of experience with something doesn't mean learning it for the first time will be easy for someone else who's never done it. It took me over 30 minutes one day to help a relative set up her Facebook account. I was well into my most professional explanation when she quietly stopped me.

"Uh... I'm sorry... What's a 'cursor?'"

Bless her heart.

You are unique. Every problem you've overcome, every challenge you've met head-on, and every unbelievably complex issue with others have made you who you are today. Take your vast knowledge with great pride. But remember, those of us who have gone through these things before are here to help others, often in the same way other loving, kindness-driven individuals helped us ourselves when we were ignorant or uninformed.

Be kind to one another.

The world needs our love and kindness.