If we would just relax a little bit, the detours that seem to show up in our life might be that much more pleasant and abundant.
When I was living in Chicago, in one of the neighbohoods west of the city, I used to take the Number 74 bus quite often. It was a straight shot all the way across the city from one side to the other across Fullerton Avenue. So off towards the water or to the Red line train stop I would go quite often.
One day, while I was deep in thought (this was a great asset when taking trains and buses), the bus suddenly turned. It was very jarring, my heart sank and I suddenly got very nervous, because this day I was not going all the way to the end, I was going somewhere in the middle. I had no idea where we were going, and then I went up to the bus driver and asked where we were going, he said there is construction ahead so we have to take detour.
But there were no maps of where the detour was going! Normally there is a notice on the buses if there is a detour. I was a little freaked out and so I nervously waited as we made several twists and turns. That whole time, I had this sick feeling in my stomach. We cut through several little neighborhood streets, ones that I had never walked down before. They were cute and beautiful, but I was too busy being nervous that I didn’t really take the time to enjoy the scenic ride. Eventually we did turn up and we picked back up where I needed to get off, so it worked out ok in the long run. But the whole time during this detour I was fret with worry.
Then a few days later, I was on the bus and this older man appeared to also have an issue as soon as we turned and got up to try and talk to the bus driver too. I was completely calm because I already knew the path, but I knew exactly how he felt. And he did not speak English so that must have made it even more stressful. So in limited language and hand gestures, I spoke up and tried and communicate as best I could where we would come back around so he wouldn’t worry like I did that first time.
This really stayed with me and I started to think about how this happens as we go through life. Our soul is on a spiritual journey and all too often we get taken on, what many of us often feel, is a detour to our goals. And sometimes maybe a sudden new direction is indeed the right path that will lead you to a new place, but other times, it really is just a spiritual detour. Sometimes things take awhile to divinely line up for our success, maybe outside factors need to be put in place, or internal growth still needs to happen.
When we do not see the map, however, we have a very hard time relaxing. And when that happens we miss so much of the beauty along the way. We have to just trust that as long as we are moving forward and we get on the right bus, or the right path (whatever that means for you, whether that’s taking a class, moving to a new place, or a relationship, etc.), we will always get to where we are supposed to go.
So take in the beauty of whatever path you are on right now and ENJOY THE DETOUR!
