An Unscheduled Detour On The Long Road To Nowhere

It’s an unusual feeling, running ahead of schedule. But there I was driving into work when that little voice spoke up.

“Back roads?”

The seed was planted and on this particular morning, and with a bit of a grin, I took the next exit off the interstate and decided to take the long way into the office. For the next 45 minutes I’d meander somewhat aimlessly through the old country roads in total silence.

Because, why not?

From a quantifiable productivity level, heading into work would have been far more beneficial. More time to get more stuff done. On most days I’d opt for the increased productivity. But some days there is an unquantifiable productivity of meandering intentionally on the road headed to no particular destination.

I’ve know these back roads my entire life. They’ve seen all sorts of different versions of me. The angry me, the frustrated me, the uncertain me, and even a peaceful me from time to time. These roads are a spiritual refuge of sorts, an asphalt sanctuary where I’ve processed things I needed to process, at times yelling at God and occasionally God yelling back at me as I drove through mile after mile of stone wall lined country backstreets just trying to figure some deeper things out. A familiar place, a safe space, an old friend who always accepts whichever version of me shows up that day.

But on this day there were no answers being sought, no frustrations to work through. I just wanted to go and see and be aware, to be fully present enjoying some time to myself. 

For myself. 

With the demands and pace of life, it gets quite easy to forget about yourself. There is always something else to do, there is always something more important drowning out the voices reminding you that self care is not some luxurious extravagance you have to earn once you’ve taken care of everything else.

I made it to the office on time and more fully energized than I would have been had I opted to get to my desk earlier. It was just an unscheduled detour on the way to work, yet even a small dose of taking care of me went a long way. That’s what happens when you are willing to make yourself your priority if only for a little while.

If we don’t make our life our priority, who else will?

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash