Sticky Deliciousness

Relationships are sticky, messy, uncomfortable, aggravating...My mind conjures up cinnamon buns, cotton candy, corn on the cob and even BBQ ribs. These words evoke pictures of really yummy things to eat though I have to admit that I don't eat them very often for this very reason (other than cotton candy that I never really liked and is of course of no nutritional value). They are messy and require clean-up afterwards that includes flossing, brushing teeth and sometimes changing clothes besides the usual washing of hands and face. Yummy food many times for me just isn't worth the effort. What about relationships? Are they worth the effort? Are they "delicious" enough to "dig into" when unpleasant consequences accompany the delight? Parenting often consists of a steady diet of cotton candy, sticky buns, ribs and corn on the cob. Can we choose to skip those meals? Of course not. Marriage, leadership, friendship, work and school, church and social environments all provide us with opportunities to "get messy". I didn't like to play in the mud, cover my feet with sand on the beach or finger paint when I was a child. Perhaps if you love those activities, living in relationship with people when it is difficult comes easier for you. (I don't really think there is a connection, just a passing thought.)
On the other hand, relationships are refreshing, exhilarating, deeply satisfying, tremendously fun and like the air we breathe, we can't live without them. I love avocados, cheese, hot tea and now coffee, portabelo mushrooms, sweet potato fries, cranberry orange scones and pasta. They aren't messy or frustrating at all; I eat them alot. A deep and real conversation over a cup of coffee or glass of sangria while sitting around an outside table before the intense heat of summer sends us inside brings me deep satisfaction and fulfillment as well as enjoyment. I do it a lot. Conflict, wrong choices, wounds of the past reemerging in the present, wrongdoing, addictions, crisis...can we "stay in the discomfort" as I heard it put recently from two different sources? Some things we eat and drink are messy, sticky, uncomfortable, aggravating yet delicious. Relationships are the same.
Well, I need to fix dinner now. I think we'll have BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, boiled okra, watermelon and chocolate cupcakes.