Bend in the Road Ahead!

I’ve been listening to the book “Decisive, How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work,” by Chip and Dan Heath. In the midst of a chapter they shared a statement that has stuck in my mind for several days.

The gist is that over 90% of the time we drive straight ahead. However, we would never get to where we want to be unless we make some turns.

The turns are the key to getting to our destination.

No turns? We would zoom right past where we were supposed to be.

I had to turn off the audiobook and think about that for a while.

I like to plan out my trips. Know which road to take, which exit has great gas prices, the cleanest restrooms, least expensive pop, fewest speed traps.

Unexpected detours unsettle me. I don’t know what to expect. Don’t know when I’ll get back on course.

Sticking to the route I plan might get me to Point B from Point A faster’ but I suspect I miss quite a bit along the way.

I remember driving with my significant other in Arizona after a work meeting. With only a few hours to spend sightseeing and a rental car map, we tucked couple of bottles of water in the car and hit the road. I had vague ideas of seeing Sedona.

As we drove I spotted a sign that said “Montezuma Castle National Monument.” I muttered something about a tourist trap and drove on. As road sides do, we passed a few more; each signed letting us know we were getting closer and closer to this castle.

After I’d muttered several times about a castle in the desert he asked if I wanted to stop and see it.

What? An unauthorized stop? Well, the only agenda was the one I had created. Why not stop?

If you ever get the chance, go to see Montezuma Castle National Monument. It’s a genuine abandoned village built into the side of a cliff. Complete with museum, tour guides, pottery displays, and gift store.

We spent about two hours there. It was like stepping into the National Geographic magazines I pored over at my grandparent’s house.

I almost missed it.

Sticking to my self-imposed vision to get to Point B would have robbed me of what was most likely my only chance to see that place.

Shockingly, to me, I don’t always know best.

I’ve been thinking of those other diversions to the course of my life.

After 24 years I was devastated to leave the highway of marriage and go the road alone. But I did, and I was fine.

As a child my father planned on selling the family home and moving out of state for a new job. He didn’t, and slid into a depression that never really left him.

When my dream job was eliminated I couldn’t understand how to get around the new roadblock. But I did, and am finding my way in a new career.

When THAT job was eliminated by bankruptcy and then the NEXT career also dissolved the same way, I’ve now pivoted to the non-profit position of my heart.

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Not all turns are easy to see coming. And even when you notice the signs the choice of actions and the destinations may be hard to understand.

Some are gradual turns.

Some exits carry steep tolls to travel those roads.

But if you don’t accept those turns, if you refuse to recalculate the navigation and incorporate the new paths, the journey may not be as varied and rich.

My writing started out as a turn in the road. It was an interrupter, one more thing to crowd into a busy week. I’m glad I took the turn.

What’s next around the bend on your journey?

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