Work smart, not hard...hmmm

I paid cash for my bachelor's degree. Graveyard shift at Denny's, five days a week or more, for five years, a second mid-shift job 5-10 at Giancarlo's six days a week. I slept on Tuesdays. "Work smart not hard" my boss yelled ubiquitously as if that would somehow lift me out from under the 25 orders I was cooking or serving (depending...) for the inebriated souls searching for meaning and purpose that paid my way through the halls of higher learning. No day goes by without effort. Not one. Effort is required to pee. Not one day goes by. Every living thing, every single atom in this universe works hard...and smart. Yes, repetition increases frequency, but no less effort is involved, just a different focus. That's the smart - the change in focus. Once I master a skill, I apply that to the next task. It's called learning. My grandkid recently asked my advice via email. I replied with a few sentence targeting each concern. I did not receive a reply. So, I asked "what would you have preferred?" And the reply came, "too long." I laughed out loud. That child wanted a 7-11 answer - a quick stop, quick fix, a no effort fix. That child wanted to work smart, not hard. But life requires effort. No effort. No life. You and I will work hard and work smart. The grandkid heads off to college next year. I wrote to the kid, "my long answers will look like shorts in comparison to what's coming." I see something the kid doesn't. The kid has the basics covered - food, shelter, clothing, a paid for vehicle, utilities, entertainment - and from this perspective, there is nothing else. That kid has no reason to put effort into their life, because no effort is required to get those things. But college looms heavy, and effort will be required. Maybe college will provide lots of opportunity to hone that skill of effort. Maybe not. Work smart AND hard kiddo. It's your life, and recognizing that your life is yours to live, and that only YOU can live it - takes effort.