Road Trips…
Driving at Night
I did a little road trip over the weekend. It was a little over a 5 hour drive each way. It gave me a lot of time to think about things. I thought about all the different things we typically experience at different points on the trip.
On the way there, we are all excited about whatever fun things are coming. We get to see new things, eat some good snacks, find new restaurants, and are just generally looking forward to things to come. Any setbacks like bumpy roads, traffic jams, flat tires, etc. are all taken in stride and it’s easy to keep a positive mindset through all the not-so-great things that can happen.
Once you arrive, we normally have fun doing whatever we are planning to do, eating good food, and having fun.
Then all good times must come to an end and head back home. We are generally pushed for time since we wait till the last minute to leave. Every pothole, traffic jam, and gas stop turns into more stress and aggravation. Often, we drive home in the dark, late at night with limited vision. We can’t see our surroundings anymore; we can’t see the beauty surrounding us. We no longer have anything to look forward to. We are just returning to our everyday life, which I would assume most people are like me and don’t exactly love where they are at.
I have never gone on a vacation and came back ready and excited to go back to work. I come back somewhat disappointed in the reality of my daily life, and I wish I could have some of those feelings of being on vacation every day. While that isn’t practical, that feeling of freedom is what I desire the most.
We all can make changes in our lives, both mental and physical, to work towards our dreams. Mentally, we can focus on all the good things we have in our lives, who we get to learn from, and who is really in control of everything. Physically, we can focus on our jobs, homes, cars, etc. They may not be exactly what you want right now, but you can choose to have a mindset of being thankful for all you have.
1 Thessalonians: 5 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”
That doesn’t mean that we will always have good days or nothing bad will every come our way. It means that everything will work out for the good with the correct mindset. Being thankful in ALL circumstances is extremely difficult, but it can get you through some really hard times. Lean on trusted friends, be vulnerable, and really focus on the good things in life.
This week, choose to be excited about making positive changes in your life. You will be surprised how such a simple change can affect your life.