Is It Worth It?

I'm all for a good challenge.
For something that takes time, patience, skill to accomplish.

I try to convince my kids of the same.
(They're still skeptical of anything that is not mastered in about 1.5 seconds.)

But sometimes I undertake a project and later wonder, "Is it worth it?"

My current project - painting the pantry, mud room, and kitchen - is one of those dubious endeavors. I started it last weekend, have painted all week long, and will still be painting this weekend. Initially, I thought the satisfaction of bringing lightness & freshness to the walls would be its own reward.

Now, it brings nothing but loathing. It's the project that doesn't seem to end! (Lots of trimwork to paint, then lots of cutting in to go around the doorways, trimwork, and cabinetry. Very little rolling.)

When lamenting to my husband, he asked me, "So, is it worth saving the couple hundred dollars to give up so much of your time to do it yourself?"

My answer: "NO!"

He laughed. He knew the answer to his question before I'd even begun painting last weekend.

So, in the future, I'll willingly train to climb a mountain, run a marathon, improve my tennis strokes. I'll patiently help my children with homework, make a home-cooked meal, iron all our shirts myself.

But I will never paint my kitchen (myself) again. I'm too slow and too sloppy. It's not worth my time. There are professionals who can do it much faster, and more precisely, and not very expensively.

I've learned that sometimes it's worth the cost to pay someone else to do the job right. In the meantime, I've got to finish what I started. Back to my paint brush...