Enjoying Life’s Roadtrip

I ran across the following CaringBridge post I wrote while recovering from breast cancer surgery in 2021. I reshare below as life’s roadtrip continues. Although we cannot avoid the bumps and detours we encounter, we can find peace and joy in spite of them.

Cruising along

The highway of life is rarely completely smooth cruising. Most of the time we drive through it at a speed that does not allow us to really take in the sights around us. We speed ahead, avoiding bumps or driving too fast over them. We stop only briefly to fuel up so we can move on to our next destination. 

When we see that dreaded road-work sign, we moan about the delay. We have to reduce our speed. Sometimes we have to come to a complete stop. What an inconvenience! Although the road work is there to improve the driving conditions, we do not like the delay. We get frustrated. Sometimes we get angry.

But what would happen if we shifted our focus off of cruising to our destination? What would happen if we learned to embrace the bumpy roads and the roads under construction? 

Adjusting attitude

Our attitude is such a big part of how well we will enjoy this road trip we call life. When I make a conscious effort to not let road delays take me down, I am much more at peace. I am a nicer person to be around. This is not to say I do not have my moments; making a conscious effort to adjust my attitude takes effort. I can start out with good intentions and then before I know it, I am being impatient or snapping at someone. It is at these times that I cry out to God and ask Him to help me adjust my attitude, give me strength, and equip me to bring light into this world, not more negativity.

Encountering potholes (back in 2021)

This past week I encountered a pothole in what I thought was relatively smooth pavement. My left breast has an infection. Because I already lost the right implant, my doctor pulled the trigger quickly and admitted me into the hospital. She wanted to treat the infection with IV antibiotics. 

My doctor told me I would be hospitalized for two to five days. I packed a weekend bag that included pj’s and a comfy blanket (both my daughter’s suggestion). The hospital room they gave me had windows and its own bathroom. After the small, windowless post-surgery rooms of the past, I felt like I had hit the jackpot. I decided to think of this as a vacation. I could simply relax (when I wasn’t being poked or questioned) and eat meals I did not have to plan. Thanks to the Infectious Disease doctor’s recommendation of a pill containing the same drug as the IV, I was able to go home after two nights.

This pothole derailed my plans to take a mother-daughter European trip this coming week. This saddens me but I know that everything happens for a reason. I do not understand why my highway’s construction does not want to end but I do have peace knowing that God is with me and watching over me. I pray the lessons I am learning stay with me when my road smooths out; lessons such as slowing down, noticing and enjoying life around me, being grateful and not taking the highway of life, especially when it is smooth sailing, for granted.

Enjoying the present journey

I am happy to say I am over four years cancer free. Many of the lessons I learned during that time of suffering I have incorporated into my life. Being forced to slow down for longer than I would have liked taught me how to truly slow down. I no longer over schedule my days. I work at being grateful and not taking each day I have for granted. A grateful heart does help shift my perspective to blessings I would otherwise overlook.

But I am human and I fail at times. I have to intentionally work at my mindset. Enjoying the journey of life requires intentionality. I pray for strength when I feel weak and for protection from the enemy who likes to attack my mind. My time with God resets me so I can merge onto the road of life anew.

Verse

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1b-2