It seems like I have been writing for as long as I can remember. Three days ago, while I scribbling my list of daily to-do items, I noticed that every task had at least one writing element. I was severely behind schedule! There was only one solution – buckle down and write. As I set iTunes to a random play that could last for weeks, I began to tackle each deliverable.
Now, after more than twenty hours of writing with limited breaks for food and sleep, I am in desperate need of a break. I know the answer I crave – a long ride on Momma Springer, the Harley Davidson sitting in the garage. In contrast to the stale warm air in the study, I long for the open road. I wanted to move beyond the predictability of a room that rarely changes. I longed to find myself searching for the perfect line through a corner in the road.
The need moves from a wish into an action item. The only question is where. As I wonder through Google Maps, I realize there is an interesting search option I had not considered using. I can plan a trip where I “avoid highways”. It is a great option! Offbeat roads, small towns, and route less traveled are a given with this choice. Instead of living in the isolated world of my mind, I can interest and engage with those around me.
It is a model many have lived before me. When Paul and Silas traveled, “they took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews.” (Acts 17.1) They were engaged in the details of their journey. Their path took them into contact with others, not away. They wanted to walk in harmony, avoiding isolation.
The ride up and through the mountains was incredible! Starting out on Mentone Boulevard on and to Mill Creek Road, I took the less traveled way up and over the 8,800-foot pass to Big Bear Lake. It was a ride. God whispered and I listened.
