So, I’m going somewhere new. I’m excited, so I get all dressed up, get in my car, turn on the navigation system, type in the directions to my destination, and am on my way. I even turn up the music and belt out a few tunes (off-key or not). Who cares, right? Things haven’t been going all that great, and I desperately need a change of scenery. This trip is just what “the doctor ordered.” All is right with the world. I mean, I see trees as I drive by, the odd car here and there.
Then, Navi chimes in (you know you have a name for your navigation system, so stop snickering). Anyway, Navi chimes in, “Route Recalculating.” At first, I ponder; did I miss a turn somewhere? “Surely Navi would’ve warned me before this point to either make the next legal U-turn or something,” I thought aloud. Instead, all I keep getting from her is “Route Recalculating.”
So, I take the next logical step (at least in my mind). Right? I mean, who gets lost using a navigation system? Isn’t that the point? Why not invest in a navigation system if you don’t know where you’re going and are somewhat directionally challenged? You are sure to arrive at your destination at the appointed time. I rest my case (or do I?)
Veered Off Path: I Need To Get On Course
After I make my legal U-turn, Navi chimes in again with “Route Recalculating.” This time, I was expecting her response. After all, I had just changed my route, and she had to catch up with me. What she said next blew my mind. Navi chimed in, “Make the next legal U-turn.” I looked at the screen in amazement and asked out loud, “I was just there, and you want me to go back?” I can laugh about it now. Indeed at times of great stress, even the sanest of individuals will talk to inanimate objects. But I digress.
Shaking my head in astonishment and quite frankly, I had no idea where I was. I had no choice but to follow and obey. I made the next legal U-turn and was on my way – again. The screen seemed to suggest that I was on the right path. There was a green line on the road that I was on, so I was guardedly optimistic. I was puzzled because there were no trees on either side of the road or any indication of bodies of water on the navigation system. It was already dark outside, so I didn’t have a good sense of what lay beyond the trees in my line of sight. But Navi said to keep going, and so I did.
Next, Navi chimed in, “make a right turn.” Even though I was puzzled, I made a right turn. I suppose you wouldn’t guess where Navi’s right turn took me – a dead end! Navi had “route recalculated” and turned me “right” into a dead end! I sat there staring at what seemed to be a field in the middle of nowhere. The road had ended, and somehow Navi intended me to go on. I sat there for several minutes, panicking at first as to how I was ever going to make it “back to civilization.” Then, I was angry that this “stupid tech” misled me (yeah, I lost all respect and didn’t even want to address her by her name).
Recalculating: I Am Charting a New Course
But then I remembered why I left the house in the first place. I remembered that I left the house because things weren’t going great. I needed a change. So rather than getting “lost in my frustration,” I wondered what this situation was trying to teach me. I thought about how sometimes we start on one path in life, and things may be going great. Everything may be running smoothly with our families, our job, and our finances. We are on autopilot, just cruising through life. Then something happens and catches us unawares. Perhaps it’s the loss of a loved one or a layoff on the job after 16 years. Maybe, your husband asked for a divorce, or your son got diagnosed with cancer. Whatever the situation may be, you’ve just received a “Route Recalculating” on your navigation system. The path you were once on no longer seems valid, or you’re at a dead end.
Regardless, you now find yourself in a situation where you may have to take a different route. Sometimes, it may mean you have to pause for a while. Hit the Reset button, and you can pick up where you left off. But for some, if you dare, you can try a new route entirely. When you dare to try a new path, you may take some wrong turns if you continue to rely on your old habits (you know the ones I’m talking about). The ones that can get us stuck in a rut because we want to do things the old way. Don’t get me wrong. I am not talking about the tried-and-true methods that work. I am talking about those dream-killers, half-hearted attempts that you inevitably abandon, knowing you don’t want to do it anyway.
So, if you find yourself in a “Route Recalculating” moment, I want to encourage you to look at it through different eyes. See it as an opportunity to blaze a new path. Embrace the challenge. My Route Recalculating moment eventually led me to you. And so here we are. I am now sharing Quwhits with you. And if you find yourself staring at an empty field in the middle of nowhere, think Raine was here, lol!
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