On the pace of change

In what may be TMI - I have an ingrown toenail. I've had it since I went to Thailand in January of this year, and I still have it. That's OK, it's almost resolved now.

To fix something like this, there are two schools of thought:

1) You can cut out the little piece of toenail digging into your skin. It feels great for a while, but then it grows back. And once it grows back, it's just as painful. Cycle, repeat. A little better, a little worse. You now have a chronic ingrown toenail and your life is a little worse.

or

2) You put some cotton under the toenail for weeks until it starts growing out of the skin. Then you let it grow longer, and longer. It turns out toenails grow very slowly - like hair - about 3mm a month. A toenail will, therefore, take a long time to grow out. But once it's out, no more ingrown toenail.

I am now a self-taught master of "fixing" an ingrown toenail, and I think it's a nice little metaphor on life. Change can happen, but it takes time and dedication. At least that's the case for this little problem.