I’ve been having trouble finding inspiration and motivation in a particular area of my job lately. Allow me to try to provide a metaphor:

Imagine you built a treehouse for your son. A lot of hard work, extra time, sweat, and effort went into it. It’s got a couple loose nails, but it’s an otherwise awesome treehouse that does it’s job very well and is used constantly by your son. Then imagine you get a new father-in-law (not likely, but play along here). In trying to adopt a grandson, he buys a new treehouse. But it’s one of those chincy play-school houses (not meant to be in a tree…) and as such it’s really cheap, not being used for what it’s meant for and doesn’t even have a ladder as a result. But he insists that it gets put in and now you need to build a ladder. Unfortunately, you can’t just build one straight to the new treehouse from the ground as there is already quite a substantial ladder structure in place for the existing treehouse; you need to connect the two treehouses. But the new one doesn’t hold up very well and it’s not exactly easy to connect the two. So in the end, it’s not easy to do, nor do you have the motivation since you know the new treehouse is not going to be anywhere as good as the old one, but you have no choice…you have to connect the two.

This is the dilemma I am in and it is quite discouraging, to say the least. I know my treehouse is better, but I have to accomodate the new one despite all its misgivings. Is this to be expected when new family comes along?