I heard the following story from Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. I wonder if you can see yourself in it as much as I did.
Ryan and his wife were taking their two young boys on a camping trip. Somewhere in Arizona a tire blew out and they was were stuck in a small town while the local garage replaced it. Getting the tire was going to take a couple hours and because of COVID Ryan’s family couldn’t stay in the shop. They walked to a nearby cemetery to have lunch and wait until they could pick up their car.
Ryan and his wife were taking their two young boys on a camping trip. Somewhere in Arizona a tire blew out and they was were stuck in a small town while the local garage replaced it. Getting the tire was going to take a couple hours and because of COVID Ryan’s family couldn’t stay in the shop. They walked to a nearby cemetery to have lunch and wait until they could pick up their car.
Ryan was agitated because of the blow out, concerned about buying a new tire, worried about being behind schedule and wondering where they would stay that night. I certainly identify with that reaction! However, Ryan noticed his young boys assumed the experience was part of the trip. Though they were hot from being out in Arizona in the middle of the day, they thought they were just having a picnic in an interesting, if unusual, park. The boys were actually enjoying their lunch and the time they had to play!
I know when I get too set on what I want to happen I can get agitated, concerned, and even worried when things don't go as planned. James reminded disciples in the early church:
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 3:13-14 (NIV)
Life goes by so quickly. Maybe we would do well to think of life’s breakdowns and detours as just part of the journey. Some of the most important lessons and experiences are found in the breakdowns and detours life throws at us. Like Ryan’s boys may we find little ways to appreciate life even when the unexpected comes our way.
I know when I get too set on what I want to happen I can get agitated, concerned, and even worried when things don't go as planned. James reminded disciples in the early church:
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 3:13-14 (NIV)
Life goes by so quickly. Maybe we would do well to think of life’s breakdowns and detours as just part of the journey. Some of the most important lessons and experiences are found in the breakdowns and detours life throws at us. Like Ryan’s boys may we find little ways to appreciate life even when the unexpected comes our way.
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