A Little Bump in the Road

In these days of budgets and amendments and motions that never seems to find any traction, it is possible that we sometimes forget the really big stuff. No, it is not the Trump/Cruz fight or the Hillary/Sanders saga. Really, in the end, it is not the political posturing or the local, state, or nation debt that matters. Walls and bathrooms and ballgames just aren’t that important. At the end of the day, when all the world is quiet and there is time to think, clarity takes over and we realize that all of that can and will go away. In a day, week, month or year, none of it will matter. If we remember, it will be in passing. But, most of us will not remember any of today’s momentous problems tomorrow. What we will remember, what counts, is the people who move in and out of our lives.

Those of you who have shared the same boat know that it only takes one really good scare to dramatically shift your proprieties. Work doesn’t matter, money doesn’t matter, politics, power and picky , prickly people don’t matter. What matters is what is real. What we and who we love and how we climb the real mountains when the true life tests come. And they will, eventually, come because they come for all of us. For me, last week was a wake up and smell the coffee and roses moment. I plan to heed the warning and look at the big picture rather than just the captions.

I will still be there in the cheap seats and I will always care what happens. But, after last week, I will also turn out the lights and go home. I will leave the angst for those that create it and choose to participate in life, rather than as a bystander. Don’t wait for a wake up call that may come late to prioritize the things in life. I suppose that I am too pragmatic to ever look at the world through rose colored glasses, but it is enough that I have a new appreciation for the daily business of living. Life really is good and sometimes it just takes a little detour to remind us that it is all about the path you choose to walk and who walks beside you. And sometimes a little bump in the road reminds you just how blessed you really are.