the easy way out

Just wanted to say, there is nothing wrong with doing things the easy way, or at least the easiest way.  Sometimes there is no really easy way, but some ways are easier than others.

I do a lot of things the easiest, most efficient way I can.  I buy food at the grocery store instead of growing it myself.  I buy milk and eggs from a local farm instead of raising my own cows and chickens.  I use a washing machine instead of scrubbing my clothes on a washboard.  I would use a dishwasher if I had one.  I drive places instead of walking many miles to get to the store.  Does anyone see anything wrong with that?

To me it's just smart.  It makes sense.  I don't think doing everything the hard way would make me a better person, do you?

Yes, "easy" is usually a matter of degree rather than an absolute.  I don't get distressed by the "easy way" comments because I know that, for me, WLS was the ONLY way I would ever be able to get the weight off and have even a CHANCE of keeping it off.

Lora

 Amen.  Hey I'll take this "easy way out" any day.  I never was able to lose 100 plus pounds in 7 mo's on my own before.  

Sometimes I wish someone would accuse me of taking the easy way out just so I can stare at them like they are an idiot and say the following:

"Ok, so what you're saying is that the hard way to do things is better? So you're at home cooking over a wood burning stove, right? Cuz using a gas stove is "the easy way out." And you're fetching your water from the river or a well, right? Because pipes and faucets? Totally the easy way out! And of course you built your home with a hand saw because power tools are most definitely the easy way out! We should all be as pious as you..."

Man! I been waiting 4 years to unleash that on somebody. Alas, nobody has ever said it to me or even implied it. Anyone...feel free to steal that and say it!

 You know.. whenever someone comes on here ranting about a someone accusing them of taking the easy way out I sit and think, "but, it was easier for me".. so I just shut up.  I guess the part that does bug me is the outsiders "accusing" us think its somehow a bad thing.. and THAT is what should be addressed.

Great points, Kelly. Thanks.

If anyone complains I took the easy way out, I think I'll ask them if they went to their last vacation by airplane or by horseback.

Better yet, given that THIS IS A HEALTH ISSUE!, I'll ask whether they took any meds the last time they got sick, or maybe they just toughed it out!

I think the last question is an important one.  If they had gall stones and were in a lot of pain, would they take the easy way out and have their gall bladder removed?  Did they take the easy way out and get a flu shot this year?  When they have a headache, do they take the easy way out and take some Tylenol?

I don't see the benefit to doing the hard thing and refusing all medical treatment.

Oh, and if it's a woman, did she give birth naturally or take the easy way out and get the epidural?  And if she got the epidural, does that mean she's a bad person and a bad mom?

Just had to respond to that last one.  My coworker and his wife planned a natural childbirth, no drugs, ...  36 hours of labor and she finally had to have a c-section.  She feels like she somehow failed, but what gets me even more is that her husband agrees with her.  To me, all that matters is that she had a healthy baby and they are both doing well.  But that wasn't enough for them, it was suppose to be all natural.  How does that make giving birth any better?  Isn't the whole point is to have a healthy baby?  I was all for drugs when I had my kids.  Why suffer more than you have too?  Some people just have their priorities set so wrong.

I gave birth naturally.  I think it's healthier for mother and baby under most cir****tances.  Obviously if complications arise and the baby needs to get out fast, a C section is necessary and that means drugs.

Having a healthy baby was important to me, of course.  But it wasn't the only thing that mattered to me.  I wanted my birth experience to be peaceful, beautiful, loving.  I wanted it to be empowering, and it was.  Had I needed drugs or a C section, I would have done that, and I would have been glad to end up with a healthy baby, but still sad that I lost the beautiful, peaceful, empowering birth that I imagined.  I don't think that means my priorities were wrong.

I also believed the statistics that said I was more likely to end up with a healthy baby, and heathy myself, if I avoided drugs and a C section.

Now, that was just my choice.  I support the right of other women to make other choices.  I don't think I'm a better person for doing it natural.  I think that was what was best for me.

Please don't get me wrong.  I have nothing against a woman for wanting a natural childbirth.  What got me upset was that she felt like a failure after having to have medical assistance and her husband agreed with her.  I think being a new mom is hard enough with everything your body is going through plus taking care of a new baby without having to be made to feel like a failure too.  Without modern medicine, so many women could not even give birth, and so many more would die giving birth.  I think it's great if you can do it, but if you need medical assistance, that's nothing to feel bad about.

Jan