Finding Purpose in Life’s Detours
A detour is a longer, indirect route taken to avoid a blocked path or to go somewhere else on the way.
A temporary bypass, often used in driving when the main road is closed, or figuratively as a deviation from a direct course of action.
I have had many detours in my life. Times when I reached a point where the path I was on needed to be put under construction requiring a reroute.
Just like detours in traffic that aren’t welcome, I was delayed in getting to where I was going. Or where I thought I was going.
At the time it was an inconvenience, a setback.
Ever have one of those? I’m sure most of us have.
When in a detour we can get frustrated, angry even scared as we are unsure of where the detour is taking us.
I think back to my earlier detours and know now that if I would have relaxed and let go of the worry just a little the detour might actually have been a welcome change of scenery to places I hadn’t seen before. Instead, worry and anxiety took over and I couldn’t see anything good in what was happening…at the time. But (there’s always a but isn’t there) I can look back and clearly see that all the reroutes and detours were part of a better plan to get me to where I needed to be.
My hardest most unwelcome detour was when I was in a relationship of several years and discovered my partner wasn’t loyal. I was madly in love with him but apparently it wasn’t the same for him. I was devastated (underscore).
So, I took a detour – a pretty big one too. It was hard. Very hard. Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I moved away but closer to my grandchildren. While still in pain, seeing my grandkids on a weekly basis became my joy. I found joy in the littlest of things during this time. Saturday night sleepovers at Grandmas with popcorn and a movie. So simple but absolutely priceless. My pain was still raw, but I allowed myself to find joy in these little souls. Even for a night. It got me through.
Fast forward many years later and I can say I’m so thankful for that detour. For the memories that were lost were replaced with memories that will last a lifetime.
If you are going through a detour, first let me say I’m sorry. I know how hard it is. I’d love to hear from you.
Susan xo