Sometimes it’s best to take the easy way out.

 

To the perfectionist daughter of the man whose photo is probably found beside the very definition of the word, those words feel like laziness as my fingers fly over the keyboard tonight.

 

We do hard things here.

 

We don’t take shortcuts.

 

If we do things, we do them well.

 

We don’t take the easy way out.

 

Not in high school when your science teacher says you should take two advanced science classes your senior year.

 

And not now either.

 

Except when it seems possible to “work smarter, not harder.”

 

The stubborn daughter of my dad fights against that feeling. Why buy something if I can make it myself? Why buy a kit if I can create it from scratch? Why let someone else do it if I can learn how?

 

My craft cabinet is a testament to my determination to try.

 

Quilting.

 

Painting.

 

Cookie decorating.

 

Block printing.

 

And more.

 

But, sometimes the easy way is the better way.

 

Like when I wanted to bake sourdough bread.

 

I ordered a dehydrated starter and went right to work.

 

And, today, when I wanted guacamole for lunch.

 

The easiest option would have been to drive a mile or two down the road and buy some from Chipotle, but it’s cold outside and I’m still me.

 

So I made it the easy way.

 

What’s the easy way you ask?

 

Well, it’s two simple ingredients and two simple steps.

 

A recipe that requires no measuring and very little work.

 

All you need is avocados and pico de gallo, both of which are readily available in your grocery store’s produce section.

 

Two ingredients. Two steps.

 

Cut up your avocados (or mash them if that’s your thing). Add the pico until you like the taste.

 

Done.

 

It doesn’t get much easier than that..or more tasty.

 

Because sometimes the easy way is even better.

 

You can add a little lemon or lime juice if you have it. Salt and pepper if you like. Garlic powder if you feel the need for it.

 

Or not.

 

It’s good either way.

 

So, if I were to make a New Year’s resolution, “make things easy” might be mine.

 

Because life can be complicated, but it doesn’t always have to be.

 

For instance, when it comes to my kids, sometimes I should stop and ask myself, “Why am I saying ‘no’ to this?”

 

Maybe because “yes” seems like the easy answer.

 

It might also be the right one.

 

When it comes to everything else, the opposite is often true.

 

Am I too busy? Too stressed?

 

Perhaps the simple answer is saying, “No.”

 

“No, I will not serve on that committee.”

 

“No, I don’t have time to meet tomorrow.”

 

“No, I just don’t want to go.”

 

It’s not lazy to leave room for things that matter more.

 

And, to think that today, I learned all that from avocados.

Other “Easy Way Out” Ideas I love:

• Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Easy French Bread Pizza
• Easy Apple Dumplings
• Quick and Easy Sausage Quiche
• Quick & Easy Taco Soup
• Easy Pumpkin Patch Brownie Bites