Road Trip

Back in college, the baseball team used to take five to eight hour road trips for games. Packed on a bus with 30 other guys might not sound that great now, but back then I really enjoyed those bus rides. 

One of the reasons was that I had nowhere else to be. The hours of opportunity to read, to watch a movie, to talk, to sit in silence. In many ways, these trips can be a lesson in patience, even forced-patience. 

There are times throughout our day where we might say, “I’d rather be somewhere else.” We get stuck talking to one person when we’d rather be talking with someone else. Or, despite the increasing speed of our world, we still have to wait in line to get coffee.

When we have to wait, we get frustrated knowing we could be somewhere else, doing something else, or talking to someone else. And, the problem is that we miss what’s right in front of us. If we play this game long enough, we fall into the trap of always wishing we were somewhere else, even during times with our family or friends. 

Start to cherish your long car rides or waiting at the airport gate. Those moments, and countless others throughout our day, are great opportunities to get lost in silent thought, or actually sit down to read, or enjoy a great conversation. 

Let’s not miss those moments because we wish we were somewhere else.