They also went without food for several meals because they had either brought insufficient supplies or had lost their food when their canoes capsized. For many boys, this trip was the greatest adventure of their lives, and they reminisced about it for years with me by mail and by phone. For some of the boys, the trip was just another in a long line of huge inconveniences and sources of discomfort and irritation. The river itself was neither hard nor easy. It simply provided opportunities for people to choose wisely and have an enjoyable experience, or to choose foolishly and be miserable.
Life works the same way.
Without Real Love, we go to great lengths to get the superficial and temporary enjoyment of Imitation Love. All those activities require a lot of effort. But if we refuse to engage in those activities, and instead simply tell the truth about ourselves, we find unconditional love and a life that is both beautiful and easy. And it comes naturally and without any effort at all. Under those conditions, life isn't hard at all.