Have you ever started your day, or a project, or even a conversation and felt that hopelessness of not being ready for it? You don’t feel like buckling down and putting your mind to it. (I hear a teacher saying this in the echo chamber of my mind.) You can’t carry your part of the task, you don’t even want to talk about why! Eventually, you realize your hearts just not in it.
When you’re heart’s not in it, then that long road to nowhere stretches out before you with no ending in sight.
Enter the long road. To nowhere. It doesn’t matter where you got on it, nor does it matter where you get off it. What does matter? How long you stay on it.
Recently, I stepped away from the house to run a quick errand and quickly felt the call of the road. My heart wasn’t in the work that I needed to get accomplished. My “to do” list was lengthy, and there were important deadlines, but that call to drive was stronger. So I drove. Just about 40 miles or so, but in those moments of meandering down roads I’ve not been on before, or recently, my attention to my unfinished tasks returned even stronger! That need to finish what was required of me was strong!
The remainder of the day was extremely profitable!
I’ve learned something about myself, when these long roads to nowhere send forth their sirens call, if I give in for just a little while, then they don’t show up again for a long while. It’s like scratching that itch. It feels good the moment you do it, but keep it up then an infection can set in because the skin is opened to all kinds of nasty diseases!
Remember your teacher fussing at you about daydreaming and not getting your schoolwork done? Daydreaming is just going down that road to nowhere!
It’s not profitable in the long run!
What I’ve learned? I can release those urges to drive by doing things profitable at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Although, I’ve never killed even a single bird with a stone! Slingshot? BB Gun? Shotgun? Even with my truck! But never a stone!
See. I’m drifting! That long road to nowhere!
Here’s my thought today.
The prophet Amos stated a time for Israel that was sort of like that long road to nowhere, they were on a long road to nowhere though they were trying to accomplish something important while on the trip:
They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro,
seeking the word of the LORD,
But shall not find it.
(Amos 8:12 NKJV)
They wander across the breadth of the land, from side to side, and corner to corner. They run back and forth, covering the same territory over and again, all the while looking for something very important. But on their trek they will never find what they are looking for.
Here’s my idea about daydreaming, itch scratching, and going down that long road to nowhere – it’s not profitable! Especially when you have so much to accomplish right where you are!
It’s another old saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” You need some perspective. Take a vacation, or a sabbatical. Step back from the details of what you feel and get a bigger picture of where you fit into your life.
When we lived in Alaska, wanderers would pass through on their way to some magical place they were seeking. Some complained of the cold, snow, and long dark nights. Then they complained of the mosquitoes, crowds and long days. They could not stand the beauty of the majestic mountains, wildlife, or even the Aurora Borealis. They were discontented, and always looking for that next long road to nowhere. From those I know personally, they found what they were looking for was back home where they came from.
Remember.
Your life has a purpose! There are important things to accomplish, and a family to care for! You have a finish line ahead of you on this race we call life! Don’t let distraction pull you from your role!
Life is full of that momentary distraction of the daydreaming trek down that long road to nowhere. Do not let that distraction keep you from your important duties of life. Click To Tweet