Detours

I remember reading "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost in English class.

At the time, I found it a cool poem. It was a nice read, I liked the idea of following your own path and I've always been a sucker for things that make you consider "what if"?

I mention Frost's poem because it popped into my head the other day while sitting in church. The preacher was talking about gratitude, and during the sermon he made a comment about life's detours. He noted that often life's detours are a positive, not a negative, but most of us lack the ability to see them that way. It got me to thinking and I want to share my thoughts with you all.

When most of us see the word "detour" while driving, we think of aggravation and a change of plans. When we hear someone talk about taking a "detour" in life, we think of them falling of track. But both of those thoughts are shallow.

Think about when detour signs are erected on our highways and byways. They typically warn drivers of a road hazard up ahead and advise us to take an alternate route out of protection. Sometimes the danger is because of freak accidents, other times it's because of ongoing road repairs to make our driving experience better in the long run. But, when you think about it, rarely are detour signs erected just as an annoyance. They are honestly a warning about impending danger, a warning that is typically justified.

And what happens when we obey detour signs? We often have to take the "scenic" route to our destination. Sure it adds time to our journey, but it often allows us to explore a new neighborhood, to have an atypical experience. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's bad, but it definitely relieves the monotony of life.

It also forces us to pay attention to our driving, it forces us to focus on the task at hand. We can't just drive on autopilot when we're taking a new route because we're not aware of all the hazards. Finally, when we take detours, we often express more gratitude and happiness upon arriving at our destination. The additional difficulty on the journey leads to added appreciation at arrival.

I'm sure most of y'all can see how this relates to real life, not just driving. Detours in life may seem like a problem, but often they prevent us from making even larger mistakes. Every dream deferred does not dry up in the sun and burst, some of them just get a nice tan, while others become tasty raisins. Lol. Seriously, sometimes God puts detours in our path to focus on him, to force us to realize where our strength comes from. For those of you who don't believe in God, detours can allow you time to do some much needed self-evaluation.

Detours give us time to appreciate what we have and they force us to appreciate what we get in the future. Detours provide us with new experiences that make us more well-rounded and make our lives fuller. Detours are not ridiculous aggravations designed to make our lives miserable. They are warnings and opportunities all wrapped up in one.

Take a detour.




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