When you drive I-25 from Albuquerque to Denver, the road
winds through the mountains north of Santa Fe quite a bit. It leads you to driving in
the opposite direction you’re actually headed a couple times. I noticed this
for the first time years ago (before driving/map apps on smartphones were so
popular), when I was on my way to Denver and at some point, the sun was on the
wrong side for the time of day that it was. I briefly panicked, thinking, “Am I
on the right direction of the interstate?”
I have made the drive from ABQ to Denver several times this
year, and I think about that every time. This past trip home, I got a little
more philosophical about it. How many times in life did I think I knew the way,
I knew exactly where I was going and how to get there, only to be confused and
wonder if I was doing anything right? And in the end, despite my fear and
confusion, I got to the right place. It might not even have been the place I
planned to go, but in the end, it was the right place for me.
We all get turned upside down sometimes in our lives. If you
have always known exactly where you going, and exactly how you’ll get there,
and gotten there with no doubts, confusion, or stumbling blocks…well, we
probably wouldn’t have much in common. When I look at my life right now, though
I am quite content and happy most of the time, it is not at all how I thought
it would look when I set to planning it 20 or more years ago.
I didn’t expect to be single. I didn’t expect to have 2 kids
with severe health problems. I didn’t expect to have this career, even though I’ve
come to enjoy it and be proud of it. I didn’t expect to live in the Southwest,
but it turns out, this is the perfect place for me.
It can be so hard to be confused about where you’re headed –
downright scary. But if we just trust that our journey can and will right
itself at the moment it needs to, we will certainly enjoy the scenery along the
way a whole lot more.
