Are you willing to take Detours?

"A stepping-stone can be a stumbling block if we can't see it until after we have tripped over it."                                                                                                                ~Cullen Hightower

Someone asked me this past weekend "How can you be so positive about everything?" to which I responded as I always do, "How can you not be!"  The conversation went silent but not awkwardly so, as my sister-in-law mulled this over for a bit.


We were headed to the Casino which was over 2 hours from our home and in another Province.  Neither of us had traveled the road before and so for good measure, we brought along two GPS systems and we both had cell phones.  Mine being a smart phone also had access to Google's Latitude and was also equipped with a GPS system.  Overkill?  Yes, perhaps, but you have to understand that when I and my sister-in-law do things together, more often than not, even without trying, we can get ourselves into some pretty interesting, if not laughable situations.  We decided we didn't want to take any chances getting lost and wandering around for ridiculous amounts of time trying to figure our way to or from  a location we'd never been to before.

The drive to the Casino, which is  located in a beautiful, scenic area of the Laurentian Mountains, was breathtaking.  Quaint, very Swiss looking and the people were quite friendly and very accommodating.  We had a fabulous time, won a little money, had a great meal at a Buffet and just before it began to get dark we decided it was time to head back home.


Not even 20 minutes into the trip back we realized we weren't headed in the same direction we'd taken to arrive at our destination.  As the road grew less even and  began to narrow considerably our "oh, oh" meters were trying to process whether or not we should turn around and go back to the ski village we'd just left and try our departure again.  My sister-in-law's GPS was apparently malfunctioning and although I asked if she wanted to use mine she declined.




We decided that at some point we were going to have to come out somewhere that would place us back onto the highway we'd been on originally,  so we chose to continue down the dark, winding, twisting and neglected road for a bit longer.  Eventually we came out at a location that I remembered and to be certain we were headed in the correct direction my sister-in-law stopped to ask for assistance from a store owner.


Once we had confirmed we were indeed headed in the general direction  we wanted to be in, we drove off and began picking out "familiar" landmarks again...large rock cuts towering over us, smooth newly paved roads, even homes and building were recalled.  We settled in for what we believed would be about a 3 hour drive.


Suddenly, my sister-in-law said, "Let's go to the casino by your place when we get back.  They have a bingo there now that starts at 10:00 pm.  We could try to make it for that." I'm all for pressing my luck, especially when I have enjoyed the outing and the company.  So, I agreed and now that we had a plan, we figured we'd be able to follow through with no further delays or detours.


WRONG! 


Just When you think you have it figured out...you find out that you don't!


I will trust my GPS to take me anywhere but my sister-in-law's doesn't seem to enjoy being out of Province and when it is, it tends to want to keep you there as long as possible - or so we thought.


We found ourselves once again in unfamiliar territory only a half hour after we thought we had it down pat.  The road once again looked foreign to us and we began passing landmarks that we knew hadn't been part of the scenic route into the village several hours earlier.


I convinced my sister-in-law that her GPS couldn't possibly be that erroneous and that perhaps "she" being the GPS with the female voice,  was taking us a more direct route home.  The car clock indicated the time was 8:15 pm and we still had what we estimated to be another hour or two of travel ahead of us.  We didn't expect to be able to make it to the casino for a Bingo, something neither of us had been to for a few years now.  We weren't too worried though.  If we took it in, great, if not...oh well, more money left to spend at the Casino.


Just when you think you've accepted your direction...


The GPS suddenly blurted out, "Turn left 100 meters" and we strained our eyes to try and see exactly what road Ms. GPS was telling us to go down.  All around us was foreign territory with looming rows of hydro power lines running as far as we could see and on our left from what we could gather was not much of anything including a passable road.  We were in some little town somewhere and neither of us had any clue as to where the left turn was about to lead us.  Taking it anyway, the GPS then blurted, "Board Ferry."  Our response?  "WHAT!!!???  WHAT FERRY!!!"


Sure enough, the left turn and short roadway had led us directly to the waters edge and a large sign that stated it was indeed a Ferry Crossing.  After expressing her worry and stating she knew we should have turned back to the village and started again, my sister-in-law decided to go and talk to the driver of a vehicle that had just pulled up and appeared to be waiting for the Ferry to allow him to board.  After learning that our alternative was to turn around and drive for another hour or more through rough roads and many stop signs, she decided that the Ferry was our only alternative that made any sense because according to the fellow, in just 10 minutes we could be at our destination - the Casino.


Somehow, we had made our way to a form of transportation that was allowing us to cut off over 1.5 hours of our  travel time! Just when we  thought we'd not be able to make it to the Casino on time to take in a bingo at 10 pm we now found ourselves with almost 1.5 hours to spare!


So what's my point?


Just like the story above, our lives often take us on detours and routes that are unfamiliar, perhaps even frightening or unsettling.  Some of us panic and choose to turn around and head back to the place we came from - this is often considered as "remaining within our comfort zone".   Some of us strike out on the new, unfamiliar route and take the attitude that we're going to see where it takes us.  This is what I like to call "shattering our misconceptions to fly by the seat of our pants" and allowing our instincts and our opportunities to move us forward.

I'm a very strong believer in things coming toward us during a time or exactly at a time when we can most easily accept, welcome and deal with changes.  Sometimes we are waiting for something to shake up the status quo, other times we need to strengthen our personalities or build our resilience to life and to its experiences, its lessons, disappointments and even losses.



...and the moral of this Post?


Although we should always weigh the opportunities that come to us and the directions they appear to be leading us in, not taking risks because of fear of failure, or worse not believing in ourselves enough to leave our comfort zone and strike out to experience something new, challenging or life changing, is in short, stunting our growth.


We are meant to experience life from all faucets...just like a diamond.  We don't admire diamonds from only one perspective.  We gaze at it from all angles and watch as it refracts the light and produces beautiful offerings of shimmering changes in hue and color that mesmerizes and invites us to admire it.


The next time an adventure, opportunity or chance to experience something comes your way, just remember that it is coming to you  because you are able to accept it and grow from it.  Nothing is by chance...and you are meant to extend yourself beyond your current place - again and again, growing, changing and progressing each time.  Embrace those detours, those road blocks and those opportunities to view different scenery and don't forget to be grateful for their presence and the enrichment of your life that can follow.


Blessings,


Savanna