It’s quite funny, really, that one of the great similarities between Wyoming and St. Croix is pot holes. In Wyoming, the drastic changes in temperature – where it can be close to zero as a low temp and just a few hours later the thermometer can be reading in the 60s – contribute to the formation of these driving hazards. In St. Croix, where it is – by the way raining and 71 degrees right now and downright chilly! – pot holes are not caused by the temperature span as much as by lots of rain and a lack of funds to upgrade roads. So, I’ve been thinking about pot holes today. I am convinced that we can learn a great deal from pot holes.
My first observation is that life, like Wyoming and St. Croix roads, is rife with sneaky little annoyances that can do real damage. Tires take a beating on a rough road, and eventually the wear and tear can cause tires to wear out, blowout, or become out of balance. Eventually, the damage can make your car difficult to steer or make it inoperable all together. Isn’t life the same? Small little hassles are no big deal at first, but after a while, they can chip away at our resolve or confidence, put our hearts and minds out of balance, and if not dealt with, can bother us to the point of making us ineffective or unproductive. What started out as a bump in our road can put us on the sidelines.
Observation number two: There are many ways to deal with pot holes. One can drive so very slowly – intending to navigate gingerly with the intent to miss each one even if that means driving from one side of the road to the other in search of smoothness. Nothing aggravates Karl more to be behind one of these drivers. Other drivers steer a straight but slow course that demands a careful climb down to the bottom of each hole and then demands the effort to scale the other side with care and intention. Another strategy is to just go for it, hit the gas and bounce over them with speed, heedless to their existence. The idea behind this approach may be to get it over with sooner. Living gives us choices as well. We can succumb to every fault in our paths by taking circuitous paths in order to miss problems – and end up not accomplishing anything except wandering through our lives. Some experience each trial and temptation fully by going to the depths and then having to climb back out of trouble and challenge. Certainly this can lead to all kinds of issues. We all know someone who climbed into a pothole of bad habit or addiction and then weren’t able to climb back out. On the other hand, full speed ahead delivers us a life of adrenaline and excitement but also causes damage to not only ourselves but to those who are on the journey with us.
Looking back over my life, I can see that there were times that I plotted a path through life using each of these strategies. I have been hell-bent and mindless. The memories I am left with as a result of these times are full of bumps on the head, some regrets and some wonderful laughs. I have been a wanderer – meandering all over out of fear or caution. Sometimes that wandering was caused by my own fear and lack of faith and other times I was being prudent and adult. I know that I went places I didn’t need to go, but in reality, I’ve seen some really interesting sights that way. I have also fully experienced some of life’s pot holes by steering for them, achieving their lows and regaining the smooth ground after a hard climb out. Again, I don’t regret every one of those treks, though I wouldn’t be honest if I said I was glad for each.
Now, I am looking forward. My path is definitely not going to be continuously smooth. Aging, politics, world events, in fact – life, is cooking up a ragged road ahead. My choices will make all the difference. I know that I can sometimes hit the gas and get out of there, take the slow route and enjoy the view, or be patient in the valleys. God willing I will be brave enough and wise enough to know which choice is the best at each turn.
