Reflections from the Road

Somewhere in Tennessee
photo credit: Cathy Ticen

We were on vacation last week, and I personally spent a lot of time driving while everyone else in the car slept! (No bitterness here!) When it's quiet, you have a lot of time to think and reflect. So here, in no particular order, are some "reflections from the road."

1. You need to be prayed up before you head out on the road. Maybe it's always been this way, but we are very impatient as drivers and that leads to rather risky behavior. Zooming between cars, racing ahead, driving and texting so as to get as much done as possible—the list could go on and on. The more cars, the more risky the behavior. Atlanta (where we were staying) is known for its traffic problems—and rightly so! Atlanta has some of the worst traffic I have ever experienced, and we lived for ten years near Chicago! Everyone is in a hurry, and where they have to go is more important than where you have to go. Maybe we could all benefit from slowing down, from "being still" and listening for God's voice more.
2. Every tour ends in a gift shop. Every. Single. One.
3. Christian radio is exhausting. With 8-9 hours on the road going each way, I listened to a lot of radio. Actually, it felt like I listened to about 10 songs repeatedly. There is a depth and breadth to current Christian music that the radio world does not reflect. I finally quit and started listening to songs on my iPhone because honestly I got tired of hearing the same songs over and over and over again. It got me to thinking about those "countdown" shows that tell you what is most popular based on airplay—but the airplay is driven by artists who have promoters behind them and not necessarily by what listeners want to hear. It's an industry disguised as a ministry. Am I a curmudgeon? Probably, but one who would just like to hear more depth to the music being played. By the way, I also realized that the secret to getting airplay is to just attach "Worship" to your name. Guaranteed airplay.
4. God's creation is absolutely beautiful and we miss it most of the time because we're too busy staring at our screens.
5. When you take a vacation, go several hours away because the trip there helps you leave the worries, cares and frustrations behind. Of course, the reverse is also true. As you drive home, you tend to pick up those same worries, cares and frustrations that you left along the road. But for the week, the rest is good.
6. When you're away from home, eat in new places. McDonald's and Taco Bell will be there when you get home. Try new things. Eat in unique locations. Ignore the nationwide chains. Unless it's Starbucks.
7. Vacations are not nearly long enough. Money and time run out long before our need for rest runs out.