A doctor friend who elects to take his bike to work recently changed jobs. Now instead of a forty minute ride, the clinic is five quick minutes away. He started going the wrong direction, meandering around side streets to bump the time up to twenty.

"Why?" I asked him. 

"It was too easy."

A friend who posts her progress at the gym articulated a goal of mastering a freestanding handstand. This week was the first time she could balance with any control.

A mother mentioned that this fall may bring obstacles for the daughter who is changing schools. Plus things are more difficult because of the new baby. 

But easy isn't always the driving force of our decisions. If it were, there would probably be a sudden drop in rock climbing, athletic club memberships, marathons, and medical school admissions. Definitely fewer children.

Admittedly there is a bait and switch going on in relationships. For many people finding your sweet spot with the person you are falling in love with is effortless. He likes pizza and a movie? So do you. She wants romance? Bring it on. But a few years into a marriage it is less sweet and more savory. Saltiness can show up when your spouse behaves in the same way they did back in your dating days.

Still the effort involved in growing a partnership has the same benefits as an extra spin around the block, or maintaining your balance in a wobbly conversation. 

Plus who ever signed up for easy?