It is one thing knowing your destination; it is another about arriving at your destination. This came to a reality for me a couple of weeks ago. I had a luncheon appointment with a client in a city approximately 40 minutes away. It is a good thing that I am notoriously early and on time. Halfway to the city, there was major construction on the highway I was traveling. All traffic had to be re-routed through smaller peripheral back roads. Not anticipating this detour, I called the client in a panic that I was running behind. The client, of course, understood and when I finally arrived, we had an enjoyable lunch.
On my way home from lunch, I came across a railway crossing in which a train was traveling through. Being patient, I decided to use this opportunity to connect with my voice mail and my assistant. A half hour later, I was watching the longest train I have ever seen in my life. Shaking my head and amazed at my luck, I decided to count the cars (140 in total) instead. Oh...it does not end here...
When the congested traffic cleared, I was on my way to home sweet home! Almost 15 minutes away from home, there was a huge 10 car pile-up and all traffic had to be re-routed. It was laughable by this point and I was getting really punchy! A 15 minute journey took me 45 minutes to get home. By this last incident, I surrendered and resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be my fate for today.
Finally, exhausted I made it home safe and sound. Collapsing on my couch, I reflected on this day and all the detours that I encountered. Why was my path diverged and changed in another direction? Why did I not go in the direction of my intended route? My route not only took one detour, but three detours. Why?
When I chose to calm down, I figured that these unscheduled detours may just have saved my life that day. Possibly I may have cheated death three times or may have been involved in the accident myself. If that train did not delay me, I would have been directly involved in that car pileup. If they say everything does not happen by chance...then it was not by accident that I was delayed numerous times that day. For that I am grateful.
Arriving at a destination does not always go in a straight line...from A to B. A river meanders its way through rocks, mountains and gorges, but eventually it finds its final destination: the sea, an ocean or a large body of water. Instead of fighting its flow, it surrenders to its passage. We can curse or become angry with our life's obstacles, but eventually we will reach our desired route. If we treat the detours or roadblocks as an opportunity for self-growth or an avenue for learning, the final destination would be a celebration.
