Journey vs. Destination

“And if we find any interesting places along the way let’s stop and explore!”

My head nods slowly in agreement but inwardly I am cringing. Growing up in my family “road trip” meant “on the road the whole trip”. Any stop was pre-scheduled and timed. None of this “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” stuff if my dad was the pilot.

But I am now an adult and this is not a family road trip. I am on a get-away with a friend from college and we are on our own schedule and we are not being timed. I take a deep breath and resolve to go with it. I have been working on being more open this year, right? And we purposefully freed up a few extra days so we could be flexible in these ways, right?

I turn to my friend, this time wearing a genuine, though still a tad hesitant, smile. “That sounds like fun.”

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We’ve all heard it before: “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” We usually even agree with it to a point. But do we truly live it?

That week-long road trip with my friend was the most recent lesson from a course in which I’ve been enrolled for what feels like my entire life. This course bears many titles, including, but not limited to: “Slow Down”, “Chill Out”, “Be Still”, “Live In the Moment”, and “Lighten Up”.

Too often on this road trip called life I get myself caught up in regretting all the wrong turns I made, or constantly trying to go back and fill in the muddy tracks torn by my tires where I distractedly swerved completely off the road.

Too often I busy myself with studying the map, making sure I know exactly where my next exit will be, or planning just what I’ll do after I get “there”.

All that time my eyes are either on the rearview mirror straining to see what isn’t visible anymore, or fixed far ahead straining to see what isn’t visible yet.

And all that time I am missing out on the beauty of what is right around me. The loved ones in the passenger seats: their faces and laughter, their ideas and dreams, their fears and hopes, their love and encouragement. The open country on either side, ever changing: flatlands bursting with green and growing things, rolling hills of golden waves, then jagged peaks cutting through the expanse of piercing blue sky. Billboards boasting of adventure: offers of comfort and rejuvenation to weary travelers, promises of exciting side quests to the thrill-seekers.

Sometimes those in authority even place deterrents along the way to force us to slow down. Speed limits and speed bumps - though we may view them as disruptions – are there for a reason, after all. Not just to keep us (and others) safe, but also to urge us towards a heightened awareness of our surroundings. Disregarding them could lead to serious consequences.

Of course the destination is important. Yes, we ought to make plans and have goals. Yes, we ought to allow the past to teach and correct us. Nor should we allow every fork in the road to distract us from our path.

But on this road trip called life maybe it is time for some of us to take time to look around. Are we missing out because we are spending “all of our trip on the road”? Or are we choosing to embrace the “interruptions” along the journey as well? Sometimes those very interruptions can become the defining and most memorable moments along our way.