A friend told me once his counselor said his behavior was like driving in a ditch. You know, one tire goes off the road and you have to pull so hard on the wheel to get the car back on the road or the ditch seems to pull you further off the road!
I could relate to that in so many ways. In the past, I have charged at life, plowing my way through difficulties, trying desperately to find a place where my life wouldn't require so much energy from me. It felt like I was driving a car in the ditch. I could see other people driving beside of me that didn’t seem to be fighting so hard. And yet, here I was fighting just to maintain my precarious position, but always pushing on.
And then, by some miracle, I jerk the wheel hard and all four tires land back on the road. All is right and now I just have to maintain...keep the wheels between the lines. But inevitably life throws a skunk in the road and I swerve! BAM! Just like that, that dang tire is back in the ditch and the fight starts all over again
So what’s the trick? Stop swerving! Hold steady and trust that the skunk will move or you can miss it. Find that faith inside of you that your path is your path. And if a skunk is there, well, your life might stink for a bit but it will pass.
It just takes less energy to keep on track. Set your goals and boundaries and stick to them. And it’s not a race. The other drivers don’t really matter. They have their own paths and their own skunks. Your journey is about you. Pay attention and slow down when you need to. Rest when you need to. Stop, grab a bite, take a walk and stretch your legs. Wherever you are going will be there. Take your time So stay out of the ditch!
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