I really like to get two things done at a time if I can, so I decided to ride my bike to Kohl's when I needed to return something. It's only a bit over six miles down to Kohl's and I've ridden more than that before. Piece of cake. Before I head out I tell Heidi my plan and see if she wants to go along. She can't, but she's all supportive like always. Anyway, I tell her that my plan is to go straight down the Beltline because I'm pretty sure that I'll get turned around if I cut through town. Ok, good plan, and off I go.
I barely got out of my neighborhood before I changed my plan. The Beltline is straight and boring and loud. The traffic moves fast and there's nothing interesting to see because I already drive on it all the time. Surely, if I go down Maryland and then cut over to the Beltline at Robison before I get to EGR, which is the tricky bit, I'll do fine. No worries. I enjoy the leafy greenness and the quiet of these roads. I marvel at the nice houses of the rich people and the up to down hill ratio is pretty good. I arrive safely out at the Beltline with no troubles.
Then, as I'm coasting down a REALLY long hill on the Beltline, all I can think is, "How the heck am I going to get back up this hill?" So, I turn onto a bike path down by EGR. There are a few lakes in EGR that make the roads and paths all twisty turny and so it wasn't long until I was completely turned around. I did know what street I was on, so I figured I was fine.
How on earth did I think I was fine!? The road I was on goes east/west. I KNOW it goes east/west because I cross it all the time when I'm going north/south! And yet, I just kept peddling along convincing myself that I was going south. Even when the sun in the sky signaled the obvious I convinced myself that it wasn't a very clear sign because it was too close to noon. I crossed a street that I used to travel frequently when I lived in another part of town. This corner should have turned me around, or at least finally forced me to admit that I was going west and not south. Nope. Somehow I just figured that this corner, since I knew it well, must mean that I was all right. Wow.
Not until I had gone two full miles out of my way did I finally have to face facts. Reluctantly I turned and headed south, knowing I was going to come back quite a long way east. I had actually gone so far west that I was further west than when I'd set out from my house.
Now, I really am this nerdy. I started thinking that gosh, this bike ride incident is a good metaphor for life. You know, how when you make a wrong turn in life it's so hard to admit it and you just keep going farther and farther in to trouble. It's so hard to get off the wrong path. You keep convincing yourself that it's the right path and than anyone or anything that disagrees with what you want to be true is explained away or just flat out ignored. Eventually, of course, you do have to do the hard work of getting back on the right path, and it's a lot harder than an extra two miles by bike. The damage you've done to your soul, or your heart, or your finances, or your relationships, don't bounce back, but they can be healed.
I was feeling all wise and everything when I reached my destination, took care of my business and then set back out to go home, by a more direct route of course. My self satisfaction lasted all of about five minutes. I didn't get turned around again. Worse. I realized that if I hadn't gotten turned around before, I would not have such a good idea of how to take a much more beautiful and satisfying way home. I would be stuck slogging up that hill on the Beltline instead of meandering through the pleasant neighborhoods of EGR. Since I had gone the wrong way, I was now clear on the right way.
That was very confusing. Making the wrong choice actually wasn't all bad. I was where I was because I'd gone the wrong way and where I was was pretty good. Should I regret that I'd gotten on the wrong path now? Or should I celebrate? Was this true in life too? Should you regret the bad paths that you go down and work really hard to stay on the right path in the future? I puzzled over it the whole seven miles home. And here's what I came up with: Nothing.
Well not quite nothing. I don't know which path comes out better in the end. I don't think I'll ever know. I hope, though, that I've realized that no path needs to end in despair. There is no path that can not be redeemed. I like that. It makes me feel safe. I've found it to be true in life and on bikes.
3 comments:
I think we often take the wrong path for 2 reasons... 1 to avoid something tragic on the "right" path, and 2 to find something we didn't know we were looking for. I believe that, had you taken the beltline something bad would have happened... not necessarily (I never could spell that word!) something tragic to you.... but perhaps you would have witnessed an accident, or something else that would have been a downer to your day. Instead, you were able to enjoy God's masterpieces along the way. And you were able to think about how taking the wrong path isn't always the worst thing that can happen :)
So glad you shared... great story :)
Off subject... my word verf for this comment is ditypur... hmmm... She was petting the cat. Ditypur?
LOVE IT! Awesome, Tonia. You're spoiling us with this stuff. I doubt you'll be surprised, but I can totally relate to the magnitude of stubborness required to realign N/S/E/W to your own, personal compass! There are no wrong turns in life - just alternate routes.
I was laughing out loud as I was reading this, glad no-one was home to wonder what this crazy person was up to now. I am so directionally impaired that I could relate to this confusion! But your thoughts on life - too true. It's a comfort to think our wrong paths can turn into right paths, and sometimes our right paths can actually turn into wrong paths - but is that because we're using wrong thinking to get on the right path? Who knows. Loved this post.
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