Is it just ME, or do you, too, try to find the lesson in - well - just about every situation?
I guess old habits really do die hard!
Growing up, the question, "What did you learn from that?" was, somewhat a frequently asked question around our house.
It taught us to think, discern, learn, make better choices. Not at all a bad habit! Apparently, it worked; I really did learn!
As the North Atlantic coast of The United States gets hit with the second serious blizzard of 2014 (Hello, it's only January 21!) I knew it would be a long drive home. My typical just over one hour trek took 4 hours and 10 minutes!
Luckily, my husband and I were traveling together and the grocery shopping he thoughtfully did before picking me up provided the opportunity to picnic as we sat in traffic.
As we crawled along, I thought about how little we were actually in control of in that moment...Mother Nature had decided to wrap us in her winter white blanket, everyone seemed to have panicked at or about the same time in a failed effort to get home early, and radio show announcers seemed to think none of knew it was snowing - so they told us it was, again and again and AGAIN!
On most other days, we, who weren't moving enough to even launch our speedometers off their resting perches, would be flying by each other, weaving in and out with a blind eye to those we share the road with.
Today, we were more polite, maybe even more patient as we blended in methodical style, waiting our turn as 3 lanes merged in to 2. Mother Nature seemed to be teaching us better social graces.
The funnel tightened. We were one in a herd of assorted vehicles, as if hoping to be worthy of admittance. We dutifully followed whoever was ahead of us, not even knowing if our ultimate goals were at all alike. We couldn't see all that far ahead, but we kept moving. Staying in motion seemed the most important thing in the moment. Isn't that always the most important thing?
As we headed further east, the herd thinned; it always does. Our role changed.
We were no longer followers; we were the leaders! WE had to chose the path we would map out for those west of us to follow; and they did. They trusted the anonymous black vehicle in front of them; they followed us and we actually discussed the "power" we had over others in that moment. We were happy to assume the responsibility to carve the path that those we could no longer even see but in the dimmest reflection of their headlights would follow to reach their destinations. We chose a path and we left something behind that others could use and they enforced it for those who would come after them! Our tire marks mattered!! The marks we leave on the world always matter!
Further east, we saw a lone car off on the right shoulder with its right blinker on. We slowed as we passed; all seemed fine.
Once we were a bit ahead, that car got behind us and began to make progress toward its own destination. Glad we could help, I thought to myself! Who knew there was so much to learn during a longer than usual drive home? I guess it was like a mini journey, a chapter, in the longer journey we call life.
So, IS it just me, or do you, too see there are lessons all around us and, sometimes, Mother Nature feels the need to slow us down a bit to realize them and to learn from them. Good job, Mother Nature! I can't wait to discover the lessons to be learned as we shovel a foot of snow tomorrow - oh yeah, bend your knees!
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