A Little Challenge

Which way do you like to do things?  Do you like the easy way or the hard way? I, myself, prefer both ways. I was thinking about this topic when I was hiking across Isle Royale with a lot of weight on my back.  This backpack camping was doing it the hard way.  But I still had fun.  Yesterday I biked from Saint Paul to Stillwater.  I could have driven my car to Stillwater.  I could have taken my motorcycle to Stillwater.  I could have kayaked to Stillwater from somewhere upriver.  I could have stayed home and not gone to Stillwater at all. Biking to Stillwater was hard but not as hard as walking to Stillwater.  I enjoyed the bike ride.  I was whistling songs to myself most  of the way. Why use a hand saw when you could use a chain saw?  Why ferment cabbage in the cupboard when you can buy a jar of sauerkraut at the store? Why paint the front door when I could hire someone to do it for me? After thinking about it I guess the premise of the question is wrong.  My decisions are not a  matter of easy or hard. I only have so much time to be alive so I want to spend my time on activities that give me pleasure.  Sometimes my pleasure comes from doing things in a more difficult way. I like a little challenge sometimes.