Things often look good at first when we’re caught up in the excitement of something new. But this can blind us to hard realities on the back end. There’s wisdom in remembering we must deal with both the front end and the back end of our life and relationships.
For instance, puppies are cute and adorable on the front end. And many are more than willing to buy one simply for how they look. But we can quickly become overwhelmed when we don’t also anticipate dealing with the back end of the puppy. Regardless of how cute they might be on the front end, it’s their back end that brings the challenge and it’s the reason many puppies are returned. But puppies can be fully enjoyed when we accept we have to deal with a messy back end along the way.
And this is true throughout our life and relationships.
For example, our ideal career likely still has many unpleasant aspects in the mix. And knowing this allows us to accept the good and the bad without missing out on our sweet spot due to unanticipated back end challenges.
Likewise, marriage, friendship, parenting, and the like can all start off with an idealistic high. We’re full of possibilities and dreams – eagerly looking forward to all the good times ahead. But every relationship also has a back end – many differences, problems, and conflicts that must be managed along the way. And we’re prone to give up too soon when we don’t anticipate this dual reality moving forward.
Of course, we don’t want to just deal with back end realities. But it’s naïve to believe we’ll just have the warm and fuzzies on the front end and not also the unpleasant realities that are simply part of the package.
In the end, like with puppies, your life and relationships will often come with an attractive front end and a less than desirable back end. Learn to deal with this back end in constructive ways to enjoy the front to the full.
Photo by Berkay Gumustekin on Unsplash
