Reflections – “You Know It Don’t Come Easy”

Carol A. Hand

As I edit and garden, I often find myself humming this song by George Harrison – It Don’t Come Easy.

Weather, competing responsibilities, and shifting moods all present challenges. I wish I could totally ignore mainstream news, and some days, I only skim it so I know what the propaganda machines what us all to believe. But I can’t avoid the need to return to original historical sources as I edit. Coupled with the news media that clearly demonstrate how little we’ve learned from an egregiously brutal past, I sometimes find myself wishing for escape.

And then the song starts playing again in my mind. I smile and attend to what’s around me. There are no guarantees that anything will grow in my gardens, and no assurances that my final manuscript will ever be completed or published. But that’s not the point. What matters is breathing love into what I do in this moment and remembering that there are still so many unanticipated gifts and magical moments.

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I don’t need to imagine a child’s joy because she is able to help plant gardens on a pleasant sunny day.

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No, “it don’t come easy,” but the unexpected rewards won’t come otherwise.

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Copyright Notice: © Carol A. Hand and carolahand, 2013-2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Carol A. Hand and carolahand with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

35 thoughts on “Reflections – “You Know It Don’t Come Easy””

  2. how wonderful having
    help’s freshness
    to tend the garden, Carol!
    may it grow up
    healthy & nourishing
    with ease 🙂
    nice to hear George’s original
    recorded before Ringo had a hit with it.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Hi Carol, I was just about to head out to the garden when I saw your post. We had hail today, no doubt, some of the plants are shredded. I’m listening to, You Know it Don’t Come Easy’, it makes me smile. I thank you for that. As for the plants they are far enough along to make it. It doesn’t take long to develop a thick skin. Your garden looks wonderful! Take care. I’m heading outside. Bob

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m grateful to hear that the song made you smile, Bob. It helps me smile and keep things in perspective many days 🙂

      I hope your plants weathered the hail! Gardening here has been delayed by rain and cold, so everything is still rather delicate except for the perennials and the flowers that reseed themselves. They’re a bit overgrown, but good bee food.

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  5. Oh I love this and wholeheartedly agree. And I love your little garden. It’s quite lovely and all gardens a simply magical as far as I’m concerned. You just keep singin’ and I will too and we’ll get along just fine. Love, Natalie 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your kind and lovely comments, Natalie. <-3 It's been too cold and rainy to plant until now, so I'm hoping the fall frost will be delayed, but yes, we can still sing… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Regarding daily news, Carol, I record them as a rule then watch when I want and skip over parts that I don’t want. Otherwise the insatiable news-wires would flood my eardrums and run my eyes blind 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your thoughtful comments and for sharing your strategy for dealing with the news, Ina. I’m in awe of your ability to stay on top of the ever shifting Croatian news these days!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Michael. There is something magical about spending time with grandchildren – it opens our hearts to love and hope while raising concerns about the uncertainties of the future.

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    1. Thank you for making me smile with your comments, Bernadette. It is worth spending time doing something enjoyable, even though it’s not always easy. But then, easy is usually boring. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. As someone who has been involved in a topic often covered in the news, the frustration of how details get misstated is overwhelming, and the process of what, why and how stories get reported on, has opened my eyes to the dismal realities behind the information we receive. Your garden has obviously received much love. In our yard, the vegetable garden is maintained mostly by my husband while I maintain the flower beds, both of which become our haven, and escape from the world around us.

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    1. Thank you for sharing such crucial insights, Joan, based on your first-hand experiences. Truth is often not perceived as entertaining enough for the mainstream media without biased (fabricated) embellishments. And tragically, distortions and biases can cost people their freedom as it did for the wrongly convicted men you have been assisting. But I am glad to hear that you have a garden sanctuary, too. I send my best wishes to you ❤

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  11. I always loved this song to. In fact, George Harrison was the only one I really paid much attention to. He seemed to me to be the most real out of the four.

    As I’ve said before, Carol, I want to be like you when I grow up! And I’m not joking!

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  15. Regarding completing your book, Carol:
    Best Answer: ***”The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”
    Don Williams, Jr. (American Novelist and Poet, b.1968)

    *** “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

    Greg Anderson (American best-selling Author and founder of the American Wellness Project., b.1964)
    Had to look this one up, but remembered “it’s the journey, not the destination.”
    The garden is loverly in the meantime!!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Thanks Carol, I need to remind myself of this. I’m having a really hard time lately and struggle to ignore the “news” and focus on what’s in front of me…they are surely taking a toll on all of us, some more than others…but you are right. Nobody can guarantee anything, and still life is worth living and the path worth exploring. Hugs in these difficult times…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hugs to you, too, dear friend. I’m so grateful for all I learn from you, Silvia, and for the inspiration I always find in your deep reflections and crucially important work. Sending you love and blessings ❤

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