Same Trip, Different Attitude by Ruth Smith Meyer

Once again, we traversed the highway around beautiful Lake Superior to Thunder Bay--probably at least the twentieth time in the last forty-five years. (Oh dear, I can scarcely believe I'm even that old!)

One would think after doing the same route that many times, it would be growing old and boring. Not so! I've done it in the middle of winter, in the early spring, in the summer and in the autumn. It thrills me every time. Each season holds it's own special colour and beauty. For many years, we managed to have sunny weather most of the way. A few times in recent years we had fog when I have had to imagine the water out there in the lake and the trees high on the hills. Today we had everything from fog to light sprinkle to bright sun, to heavenly blue skies, to heavier rain. The varied greens of the spruce and pines, the poplar, birch and other species were rich and lush in the damp. The lake lay in deeper shades of blues and grays under brooding skies or reflected the sunlight and shadow. Sometimes, even while we drove through light mist, we could see ahead, the sun shining on the side of a distant hill. At other times, as we moved through sunshine, the shadow of clouds or sweeping rain were seen far ahead. It seemed we had a bird's-eye view of various types of weather.

Before we reached the most scenic part of the route, I had been reading aloud, bits from Stan Toler's book, The Buzzards are Circling but God isn't Finished with Me Yet. That reading already made me aware of the various challenges of life and the difference our attitude makes when facing those challenges. I guess if got my mind ready to see the scenes before me with different eyes. Instead of fretting because the sun wasn't illuminating each new sight with every single curve in the road, I was able to see the beauty of the lush green in the mist. The play of sunlight and shadow, bright moments and cloudy ones, the sweep of approaching rain and sudden downpours or moments of dense fog that obliterated all exept the close view, all became a reflection of life.

How often in the sunny periods of our lilves are we surprised at the turn in the road to be met with drops of rain on our parade? How often do we see ahead the sweep of rain, knowing that very soon we will be in the midst of another challenge? How often do we come upon a thick fog where we can only see a short distance ahead, not able to know for sure where the turns, the ups and downs await?

Now on our trip, as in life, would we not have had a goal in mind, we may have been inclined to just wait it out until the sun shone once more, or to have turned tails to flee the oncoming storm. In severe weather or road conditions, that may be the advisable and wise thing to do, but today it wasn't dangerous to go on, so we kept travelling. We had a goal in mind. We had reservations for the night ahead and a destination that called us for tomorrow. We had lots of time to make our day's journey, we didn't need to hurry. The goal gave us impetus to continue our journey and we found pleasure and benefit in the going. We would have missed the blessing of seeing the scenery in a different light had we avoided journeying through. The goal made the difference.

Think about it. What does that tell you about your life-journey? I know today will make a difference in my outlook in life.