THE SCENIC ROUTE

#1:  You’re Always Home  

Turtles are remarkable creatures. First emerging 260 million years ago – even before the dinosaurs – turtles, relatively speaking, haven’t evolved that much because their design works really well. Some turtles can hold their breath for 10 hours. Others can go for months without eating. And a few species can even freeze solid without being damaged. Turtles also, of course, have a bony, house-like shelter they carry with them everywhere. So, you could say that wherever they go, they’re always home. It’s in this way that turtles serve as a metaphor for how we should view our life and our experiences. Like it or not, we’re all on the scenic route… watching day to day as the landscape of our life changes around us. We can’t always see where our road is leading… which can be frustrating. But it is possible to always feel secure and at home despite what’s happening in your life. Every moment of experience, interaction, learning, and feeling fortifies you because it all becomes part of your own personal turtle shell. By simply being alive, you’re constantly adding to this shell-house and enhancing it. And yes, even your negative experiences - in the long run - strengthen your shell by giving it character and dimension. So you see, though you might not realize it, no matter where you go, you’re always home… and your home is always improving.  

#2:  See Beyond the Road

The purpose of a road is to take you places. All roads lead somewhere. But on any road, it’s easy to impatiently get caught up in the “are we there yet” mindset. A road, though, isn’t just a means to get someplace... it’s connected to and actually part of the place you’re trying to go. Understanding this automatically reframes difficult or tedious parts of your life. You’ll notice that the scenery along your road is temporary, and that the sequence of your experiences and relationships unfold in meaningful, harmonious ways that you may not have perceived before. This is what allows you to see beyond where you are… to do the math that tells you why you’re here and where you’re going. With that, you’ll stop resisting and begin embracing all the parts of your road - even the parts you don’t like - as necessary links to your intended destination. And when you harmonize with your road in this way, you enable a creative process that works with the landscape of the moment instead of fighting it.

#3:  You Can’t Stop the Rain

Everyone gets rained on. Everyone’s road gets wet, slippery, dark, and bumpy… sometimes all at the same time. While you can’t stop the rain or change the road conditions, you can change how you’re driving. Your personal road is constantly communicating with you through the circumstances and relationships in your life. When you’re calm, open, and teachable, you’ll hear and see when your road is cautioning you to slow down, turn on your lights, or take a detour. You’ll also perceive when your road is encouraging you to speed up, put the windows down, and have some fun. Ultimately, you, your life, and your road are one and the same. And when you realize you don’t have to be in a hurry to get anywhere, you’ll notice that you already are somewhere.  

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