You've been there. The route to some place unknown. You've mapped it out. You've had the GPS programmed. You've looked for landmarks to help reassure you along the way. Your radio cranked out some favorite tune as you "car-danced" and karaoked like a pro. Then suddenly, somewhere between "stayin' alive" and "hooked on a feeling", you got the creeping sensation that you took a wrong turn and your " ooga-chaka" started to lose its enthusiasm.
This is the part where we get serious. We turn down that radio and try to turn up our directional intuition, quietly tracking our miles in our heads to determine precisely where we might be and how to get where we actually intended to go. That loud music we so enjoyed only minutes before, seems distracting and obnoxious. We feel betrayed by the modern technology we relied on to help us reach our destination upon the realization that it's led us astray.
My friend and I named her GPS "Rhonda"... As in, " help me, Rhonda! ". Sometimes Rhonda is indeed helpful. She can usually point us in the direction of the nearest mall. But, all too often the route we set out on has to be unexpectedly altered and all "Rhonda" can do is spin her wheels "recalculating". Curse "Rhonda" for not being more intuitive, for not being more resourceful, for not making sure we were paying attention when she mentioned that right turn a few miles back.
Rather than making that right turn, we end up making the wrong one and are headed down a path completely unknown... And apparently "Rhonda" has gone on hiatus having "lost her signal".
It's scary going somewhere you've never been with no guide to tell you if it's good or bad, right or wrong. What if that road is too long and without much civilization? What if that route becomes dark? What if you are ill prepared for what this road will require? What if you simply run out of gas and can go no further without rescue?
The what ifs are endless possible outcomes of this detour. They become something you either let fill your mind and quicken your heartbeat in anticipation of doom, or they become something you consider and allow yourself to prepare for, without allowing them to overcome you and diminish the quality of this trip you're embarking on. What if.
What if that wrong turn, turns out to be the right one? What if it not only gets you to your final destination, but shows you more along the way? What if that wrong turn actually helped you avoid being involved in a multiple vehicle accident that occurred only minutes later on your original route?
The trip may not always go according to plan. The variables are endless and our preparations may only account for a fraction of them. The car may break down. The GPS may lose its signal. You're cell phone battery may die. Your radio may become fuzzy. You may be entirely alone and lost, failed by everything you thought you could rely on to get to your destination.
The thing about being lost is that the only solution is finding your way. There is no choice but to keep moving, each step you take bringing you closer to a destination... A resting place, an answer, a finale.
This is your journey, the one you began with a heart full of excitement at the prospects and possibilities. Although not always what was expected, the travels we embark on are so often much more about the journey than about the destination. Go. Be an adventurer. Take a wrong turn ...or many. Take chances. Fall down. Break down. Get up and put it back together. Look around. Keep moving. The journey is yours and it's beautiful. Your attitude is everything. Choose happy.
This is the part where we get serious. We turn down that radio and try to turn up our directional intuition, quietly tracking our miles in our heads to determine precisely where we might be and how to get where we actually intended to go. That loud music we so enjoyed only minutes before, seems distracting and obnoxious. We feel betrayed by the modern technology we relied on to help us reach our destination upon the realization that it's led us astray.
My friend and I named her GPS "Rhonda"... As in, " help me, Rhonda! ". Sometimes Rhonda is indeed helpful. She can usually point us in the direction of the nearest mall. But, all too often the route we set out on has to be unexpectedly altered and all "Rhonda" can do is spin her wheels "recalculating". Curse "Rhonda" for not being more intuitive, for not being more resourceful, for not making sure we were paying attention when she mentioned that right turn a few miles back.
Rather than making that right turn, we end up making the wrong one and are headed down a path completely unknown... And apparently "Rhonda" has gone on hiatus having "lost her signal".
It's scary going somewhere you've never been with no guide to tell you if it's good or bad, right or wrong. What if that road is too long and without much civilization? What if that route becomes dark? What if you are ill prepared for what this road will require? What if you simply run out of gas and can go no further without rescue?
The what ifs are endless possible outcomes of this detour. They become something you either let fill your mind and quicken your heartbeat in anticipation of doom, or they become something you consider and allow yourself to prepare for, without allowing them to overcome you and diminish the quality of this trip you're embarking on. What if.
What if that wrong turn, turns out to be the right one? What if it not only gets you to your final destination, but shows you more along the way? What if that wrong turn actually helped you avoid being involved in a multiple vehicle accident that occurred only minutes later on your original route?
The trip may not always go according to plan. The variables are endless and our preparations may only account for a fraction of them. The car may break down. The GPS may lose its signal. You're cell phone battery may die. Your radio may become fuzzy. You may be entirely alone and lost, failed by everything you thought you could rely on to get to your destination.
The thing about being lost is that the only solution is finding your way. There is no choice but to keep moving, each step you take bringing you closer to a destination... A resting place, an answer, a finale.
This is your journey, the one you began with a heart full of excitement at the prospects and possibilities. Although not always what was expected, the travels we embark on are so often much more about the journey than about the destination. Go. Be an adventurer. Take a wrong turn ...or many. Take chances. Fall down. Break down. Get up and put it back together. Look around. Keep moving. The journey is yours and it's beautiful. Your attitude is everything. Choose happy.