Rough Road

We recently went hiking with three little ones and two teens...what a blast! I'm usually bringing up the rear - no not because my Crossfit coach hasn't been doing his job, but because it's my joy to bring up the stragglers and make sure all are accounted for.

A sign was posted that I hadn't noticed before on previous adventures to this particular lake. It read, "Rough Road." Just as we drove past the sign, my ever-fun husband decides to thromp on the gas pedal and veritably fly over potholes and slippery gravel. My arm rises in reflex as my hand grasps the handle above my passenger window. The kids know the routine and break into long drones of pothole-measured crescendo. This rough road became a place of fun and excitement.

It got me thinking about reality. How often do we thromp on the gas pedal of life and look forward to bouncing and sliding around on the rough road? What if instead of hiding behind closed doors and turning to who-knows-what, we met our rough road full speed ahead, anxious for what it would teach us?

Please, I'm not there yet...I'm the shut-out-civilization-for-a-time type! But I'd like to be more accepting of rough patches. It dawns on me that we knew the rough road was only going to last for a short time before we got to stretch our legs on the open trail. And, as I look back over my life, it has been that way too. Each phase only lasts for a time. How can I remember that when I find myself in a rough patch? Or even better, look it in the face and say, "I know you are only going to last for a short time. Whatta you got?"

If only I was that brave or mature! For now, one step at a time is all I've been given. May they land on solid ground.