Jean Gatz Winter Weather and the Road of Life (1/28/22)

Winter Weather and the Road of Life (1/28/22)

Viewing TV weather coverage for the past few weeks, I’ve thought about the everyday conveniences I often take for granted – a warm home, a car heater that works, and travel that’s safe and painless. Lately we’ve watched video of drivers trying to maneuver their vehicles on ice-covered roads and highways, only to lose control and slide into other cars already piled up on the side of the interstate. Scenes of airports overflowing with grounded planes and weary, frustrated travelers made me grateful that I wasn’t traveling to speak at a conference or retreat during those days.

Many factors can impact our travel plans. And that also applies to our travels on this Trip we call Life. Those factors can include our attitudes and behaviors, our physical and emotional health, our jobs (paid and unpaid, past and present) and our personal and professional relationships. You may be investing time, energy and emotion in a job or a relationship that leaves you feeling stuck, spinning your wheels, and getting nowhere. You feel pulled in different directions. As you try to meet others’ needs and demands, it’s difficult to stay in control of your day … or your life.

While we can’t control everything that happens to us (including bad weather), we can make choices every day to make our Trip as enjoyable, rewarding and stress-free as possible. Because we’re human, we often react (or over-react) to stressful situations in ways that actually create more stress. We waste time worrying about a problem instead of doing whatever we can to deal with it. Or we don’t acknowledge the problem at all. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we can’t begin to fix a problem if we won’t admit it exists. Then we wonder why nothing has changed and life hasn’t gotten any better.

Think back to a long and enjoyable car trip you’ve taken in your adult life. Didn’t you spend time planning, organizing and preparing before you took off for the open road? As you reflect on that trip, what did you do – long before you put the key in the ignition – to ensure it would be as safe, enjoyable and stress-free as possible? What did you do to make sure you enjoyed the trip?

Now… imagine the changes you can make in your life’s Trip to ensure it’s as safe, enjoyable, rewarding and stress-free as possible. Think about “the Road of Life” you’ve already traveled. Where have you been so far – not only physically but mentally, spiritually and emotionally as well? Where do you want to go from here? Reflecting on these questions can help you gain the perspective you need.