The Path of Least Resistance

My Very Wise Brother sent me a thought provoking email last night. He wrote that his nickname should be ‘Electricity’ because he (like electricity) follows the path of least resistance.

He went on further, to say that when making choices he is going to lean towards the ‘fun &/or memory-making experiences’ over work. And what is really wrong with that? Not a thing.

I am still quoting My Brother when he explained that when he was sitting back in his easy chair when he was 80, would he regret choosing taking his daughter on a bike ride over scraping the paint off of his window sills? Hardly likely.

The lawn can be mowed now or in two weeks (or never). That is our choice. It isn’t going anywhere. But the time we take (or don’t take) to sit still and talk with a friend … or spend time with a family member … or gaze into the clouds? Those times are fleeting. Sure, we can talk another day. Yes, the clouds will be there tomorrow (very likely for the next two weeks, the way our rainy spring season has been this year). But the moment – the conversation that will happen when it is spontaneous … those particular clouds – they don’t wait.

My Second Son and I have accidentally fallen into the ritual of sitting down and having a power-coffee-visit on Friday mornings. This past Friday morning, I had to renege on the ‘moment’. I had school hours that had to be ‘logged’. I couldn’t spare the hour.

I don’t know what it is about that power-hour that we have stumbled upon. The words, ideas, thoughts and dreams come pouring out of each of us. We walk away feeling empowered, motivated and eager to face the day.

I regret not finding a way to make that time this past week. Sure, we sat down and chatted after supper on Saturday night. But it wasn’t the same. The week had caught up to me by then. We sipped on a beverage of the alcoholic sort, instead of coffee. I slunk down low in my chair and relaxed instead of feeling energized and motivated and eager to live the day. I thought “I can’t wait to get to bed” instead.

Yes, chances are that we talked about many of the things that we would have talked about Friday morning. But it wasn’t the same. The moment was gone. The atmosphere was all wrong.

I researched this scientific fact about electricity after I read my brother’s email. And this is what I discovered:

“No, electricity does not “take the path of least resistance.” It takes all paths available—in inverse proportion to the impedance of the paths.”

There are many ways to ‘spend’ a finite supply of energy. So my vote goes with my brother. “The lower the impedance of the path …” (fun options), the greater the amount of energy we have to spend there. “Conversely, the higher the impedance of the path …” (the work), the lower the amount of energy we sometimes choose to allocate to the task.

I think that workaholics have this concept all mixed up … though it would be wonderful to have a job where the ebbs and flows of enjoyment one receives from your work competes with the recreational activities in your life.

So, when making the choice of least resistance, weigh the options. What will make for the best memories when you are sitting back in that easy chair and reflecting on your life?