In my Journey through Life, I will:
Appreciate the detours: Learn from mistakes, obstacles and
challenges
So I’m going to a meeting at a place I have never been
before in, say, Albuquerque. I tune into
my left brain to lead me there. I go to
Google Maps and check it out–nearest intersection, written directions. I even go to the “street level view” and look
around for familiar landmarks, like McDonald’s or Starbucks. On the day of the trip, I load the
destination in my GPS and off I go. As I
approach my destination, I find myself in the middle of a construction zone,
with orange barrels and detour signs.
The left-brained me is thrown into a tizzy: Am I going to be late? Do I follow the detour signs? Do I recognize any of these streets? Why didn’t they warn us about the
construction? (Of course, like juniper
pollen in springtime, there is always major construction happening in
Albuquerque.) Where are the Manzano’s
(i.e., east)? I decide to follow the
detour signs to see if they get me back on track, or at least to a place where
I can stop, study my map, and allow the GPS to recalculate my route. I implore my right-brain to gather the
stillness around me, and before I know it, I am at my destination.
Detours happen all the time, because change happens all the
time. Sometimes the detours are major,
where I feel like the ball bearing in a Labyrinth game, dodging the holes and
somehow getting to the end. Sometimes I
will fall into the hole and have to start all over again, reaching the end with
a few cuts and bruises, older and wiser but still at my goal.
Other times, they are speed-bumps that do no harm if I am
going the speed limit. But if I’m going
too fast, I may do damage to the suspension, or I may just spill my
coffee. In all cases, I try to learn
from the detour. I’ll find an alternate
route if I can; sometimes I’ll need to create an alternate route. From this creation comes innovation, and from
innovation comes a fresh outlook in an otherwise-routine viewpoint.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of
various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces
steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
Have you run into a detour lately? How did you decide to
handle it or yourself? Tell me in the comments below.
About Me:
I am a Writer-Editor for the federal government, and a
future best-selling author. (That’s in my vision board.) I am also a creator of hand-crafted items,
such as rosaries, beaded jewelry, and hand-woven and crocheted scarves and
prayer shawls. I am one of 12 siblings,
and I co-parent a menagerie of cats, dogs, fish and a too-talkative parrot.
