All we wanted to do was to get to Wooster Ohio.  From Nebraska, that would be east.  Instead, we did the most illogical thing you can do; we went west to go east to go west.  We began in Omaha, flew to Denver then east to Pittsburgh where we drove back west to Wooster.  Doesn’t make a bit of sense and yet it’s the perfect example of life in general.

It’s said that the fastest way between two points is a straight line but life, as much as we would like it to, usually doesn’t allow us to travel in a straight line.  Instead it takes us on the road less traveled, full of bumps, detours, and roadblocks.  And while this can feel frustrating, if we focus only on those things that deter us from our goals, we may miss some wonderful unexpected gifts along the way.

For instance, our detour sent us to Denver. As a kid I lived in the Denver suburb of Aurora, a special place in my memory because it was the first and only house my parents ever owned.  We only lived there for a couple of years but I attended a great little school there where I remember a couple of special teachers and friends.  Sitting in the airport, looking at the mountains during lunch I was filled with nostalgia, something I would not have experienced had we had to take a different flight.

I’ve always admired those people who seem so focused and driven, who seem to end up just where they wanted to be.  Maybe they’ve hit some roadblocks in areas we have not seen.  For me it was my career.  Where I am is not at all where I planned or expected to be but wow, have I had some wonderful experiences because my road branched off in places I thought I might want to explore.  Saying yes to things can definitely take you off of the main road of life and take you on a drive through some new territory but in my case, there is very little I regret.

I believe our culture tells us that in order to be successful, you must follow the prescribed path, get certain degrees to certain institutions, marry the right person, have the right number of kids, live in the right neighborhood and everyone will live happily ever after.  The problem is, life happens.  I have friends whose have lost jobs or family members, friends who struggle to have children, or are fighting illness.  There are compromises to be made in relationships when a spouse needs to move for a job and you have to give something up for that.  No wonder people get stressed out.  We’re setting people up to fail when we tell them there’s a prescribed path and life gets in the way.

When I was younger, I used to fight these roadblocks tooth and nail, complaining about every little inconvenience because it was all about me.  As I’ve gotten older, much like our travel adventure this past weekend, I’ve figured out that sometimes roadblocks or detours happen to send you in a better direction or away from something that’s not going to be good for you.  Maybe it’s just so you can share a wonderful experience with someone that you wouldn’t have otherwise. For me it’s a God thing.  We would never had had the opportunity to spend extra time with a good friend if we had not had to fly to Pittsburgh.  It ended up being a great gift.

So as much as going west to go east to go west didn’t make any sense, in hindsight it made all the sense in the world based on the experiences we had because of it.  Perhaps we need to learn to relax and be more flexible, more mindful of the things and people around us instead of snarling about the inconvenience – like the gentleman next to me on one of my flights.  But that’s another story.  I wish I had figured this all out sooner in my life.  Things will happen in God’s way in God’s time.  All I have to do is put on my seat belt and enjoy the flight.