Road trips, conversations, and unintended delights

I’ve taken some road trips recently. With and without my family. It’s given me a lot of time to think. 25+ hours for this last time, for example. It’s brought me closer to my wife and granted us conversations we’d never have had otherwise. As I was driving the endless miles of an orange-brown hue of the Oregon interior, I couldn’t help but be grateful that I was stuck in my car and couldn’t multi-task. The many hours on those highways with a hot sun beating down on the road and our car’s A/C trying it’s best to keep up helped me reflect on my life. That may sound like a throwaway sentence, but when we plum the depths we often come up with gold. It’s hard, though.

On another trip, I took two flights before an hour’s drive in a different U.S. state. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’d agree. It also makes it harder for you to avoid the difficult, tricky topics you’ve successfully avoided until now. They’re unintended, often unexpected, but if you can work through the difficult topics, you can achieve growth and health on the other side.

Try it. Whether that’s out in the wilderness with no cell phone reception, a long road trip, or putting away the devices…I encourage you to find your road trip. Find your place where you confront yourself in the mirror and honestly ask yourself if you are who you wanted to be. You’ll learn a lot. And hopefully grow.

This can often be a difficult self-conversation. This is a great time to involve a friend, sibling, spouse, significant other, mentor, or someone you trust to help walk with you through this.