Monday, June 30, 2008

Adjustments


I hate country roads. Let me expound. I have a love/hate relationship with country roads. I think they are beautiful. There are so many photo ops there. I love the scenery, I love the serenity of being there. However, I hate country roads. I like lots of room when I'm driving and there just isn't enough space on one of these roads to suit my desires.

However, life is all about adjustments. It will probably be a while before I forget my first journey down the country road that I now travel with regularity. You see, I moved from my hometown to a smaller town thirty minutes away. But even before then, I had started dating Daniel and making that thirty minute drive several times a week. As I drove home from my parents house the other day, I realized that the road that scared me so much that first time I went down it, now doesn't faze me nearly as much.

I've learned the rhythym of the road. I learned the curves that you can laugh at and the curves that must be respected. I've learned the dips in the road, the narrow spots, and the easy cruising places. I've adjusted. And thinking about this as I drove home caused me to think about other adjustments.

Realizing for the first time that you're an adult? Adjusting to paying your bills on time, finding insurance, finding that perfect job. What about finding The One and the adjustments that are required along with that? Adjusting to having someone to share your life with, ups and downs, failures and successes? Someone else to help mess up the house, and someone else to help clean it up?

Adjusting is a part of life and that life is kind of like a country road. You have curves that you can't see around. You find dips in the road that catch you off guard. Sometimes you narrowly escape events with all your paint intact. Othertimes, it's clear sailing.

You can't always see what's coming your way. Sometimes you just have to wait to make it around that next bend and brace yourself for whatever may be coming. Whatever road you may travel in life, be it paved or bumpy with gravel, we all adjust somehow some way. Small adjustments that don't rock the boat, such as a new hobby or passion, or larger adjustments that make us wonder if we will have enough fuel to make it to the finish line. Either way, life is about adjusting. Be it picking up the pieces and travelling on, or just driving in the rain.

The road that seemed so scary to me the first time I drove it has now become a standard in my life. I have continued driving down it time and again. Sometimes by force, sometimes by choice. I have learned to appreciate it. Something that started out so hard and so difficult to cope with is now something I make the choice to pursue. Funny how life works like that too. Those scary things that come our way that we don't want to face but there's no way out. The more and more we have to deal with them, the less scary they are, the more adjusting we do.

I can't say that I love country roads now but this one, just this one, I can handle.

What have you been adjusting to lately?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderfull written and totally true! Great post

Angie @ Many Little Blessings said...

Great analogy! Very well written.

You know what -- I also hate driving on country roads! Or, really anything overly curvy. Blech!