Last week, my social media theme was about vacations and taking a break. This week, much of my posts were about the emotions that arise out of change, unexpected or otherwise.
I didn’t think the two were related until I took a road trip. You know where you want to go, you want to get there safely, while at the same time, making sure you have enough time to get to your destination. It’s the kind of journey that takes some careful planning and preparation, yet affords the opportunity to explore along the way.
A road trip is a relatively defined activity, with a map that guides your way, however with a certain degree of uncertainty that adds excitement and intrigue to your experience.
For example, you can begin your journey in bright sunny weather, only to find yourself amidst a torrential downpour along the way.
Can you picture it? You’re driving down the highway in the warm and wonderful sunshine and you begin to notice a few clouds in the sky, nothing too threatening, just a few clouds. Next, a few raindrops begin to appear on your windshield. Your view is still fairly clear but you are beginning to wonder what’s ahead. All of a sudden, it begins to pour and it’s very difficult to see the road in front of you. You turn on the windshield wipers as a way to improve your outlook. They help to a certain extent but can’t fully clear your view.
There are periods where the rain comes so forcefully that you don’t know if you can continue and decide that you may have to pull over and take a pause until things settle down. Then the rain lets up and you press on. All of a sudden, the storm escalates again. You decide that rather than taking an unnecessary risk, you are going to take a pause until the rain clears. It might be a short coffee break, or it may mean an overnight stay. Your goal is to take a rest and get refreshed, so that you can enjoy your journey when it is calm and you can see what surrounds you and what lies ahead.
Once the weather clears, your trip is much more enjoyable. Your view is unobstructed, and you feel relaxed. It’s much easier to navigate and move toward your destination.
This reminds me of that song by Jimmy Cliff, “I Can See Clearly Now”, for the rain will be gone, and it will be a bright sun shiny day!
When you find that your path in life becomes bogged down or stuck, take a pause to restore and refocus so that you can continue on with clarity and peace of mind.
~ Lisa
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