ROADWORK

I took a road trip recently, over five hours, to go camping with some friends.  The distant stretches of highway often looked slick as if black ice had settled, though it was impossible in Florida July weather.  It was like a mirage, which I found interesting. I also saw bright signs cautioning roadwork ahead and blown tires strewn across some areas.

The passing though was, “Okay, something is up ahead. I’m aware. If it’s bad I may be slightly delayed--or not. However, there’s nothing to consider until I get to that point.”

(We've all come across this type of "caution" on the road at one point.)

And so I continued, noticing citrus groves, what looked like pine farms, exit signs for gas, food, lodging, etc.

As I passed said roadwork that I had been cautioned about perhaps miles before turned out to be a construction truck off in the swale with a few workers trimming or scooping up branches. None of it affected my drive.

But it had me thinking. Miles back, had I tensed my shoulders, gripped my wheel, slowed, started formulating ideas or fears of what the “road work ahead,” could be, was it an accident? Are they seriously asphalting the road now, at noon? Or how I would manage around it, my focus would be on the anxiety of it all. Anxiety over what I needed to do, to control a solution for this upcoming “road work.”

And of course, in the end, I would have noticed that there was nothing to worry about after all.

In the meantime, in my angst, I certainly would have missed the citrus groves, and greenery, the unique signs, and beauty.

How many of us do this in our daily lives? How many of us have done this our entire life?

We hear about something in the future or assume something will happen to us and we tense up, stress, lose sleep, have anxiety attacks, worry, and call everyone to pull them into the mental haze… This can go on for days, weeks, months, or even years.  What did we create? 

Dis-ease in the body. A body not at ease.

DISEASE.

Guess what?  That thing you stressed about for years probably HAD TO happen in the form of some disease—of course, you had been worrying about it for the longest time.

Years ago, I dated this guy who had two older brothers.  He said his father and grandfather had both died before 50 years old, and he just knew FOR SURE that this was a family curse. I told him if his older brother died, then maybe there was some family genetic issue that required investigating.

Nope, he was sticking to his “curse” theory.  Mind you, this guy was thirty-nie at the time. I think if something does happen (because the older brothers are still alive and well), it’ll happen to him because this “curse” had been on his mind since he was  twenty when his dad passed and he held this sub-conscious anticipatory stress that wreaked havoc on the inside for over twenty years.

Things will happen as they happen.

I love when pious people say, “It is in God’s hands,” during a crisis but continue to stress, fret and freak out. Um, let it be in HIS hands, remember?  Where’s the trust in your faith now? You should be the calmest person in the room since you are quite sure of HIS intentions. 

The outcome may not be what you wanted or what you felt would serve you best, but things will happen as they should.

If you are put on notice of life “roadwork” ahead, be aware, consider some outcomes, and then let it go. Deal with it when it comes--IF it comes.

Don’t lose days, weeks, or years on “what if’s.”

Be good to your body.

Be good to your mind.

Thanks for being here.

Rest. Chill. Be easy.