“It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey!”
You’ve heard that before, but how many times have you gotten so fed up with the journey that you just want to get where you’re going and be there already?
My friend, I am so there with you! This summer, we packed up our bags and went on a road trip across the country to spend time with family. As we started off on this long trip, I found myself slipping into this mentality of “Oh my word! Let’s just get there already!”
The mentality where the real fun doesn’t start until you arrive at wherever you’re going. The mentality that the journey is the tedious part that you have to endure so that you can get to the fun part, the enjoyable part, the part that you really want to do.
You’re impatient. You want to arrive at your anticipated destination.
You want this season of life to be done so you can get on to the next one.
You want to get to where the “real” fun starts.
You want to jump to where the new beginning starts.
You can’t wait until that new leaf is turned.
You want to finally arrive there.
But where is “there”? When do you know you have arrived at all?
As I was caught up in this mentality, one of my daughters said something that stopped me in my tracks.
She started sharing memories that she cherishes and lessons that she learned on the travel part of our road trips from years past. It captivated my attention.
Am I getting so focused on the destination that I let the fun of getting there slip through my fingers?
Don’t get me wrong, a road trip with 2 adults and 5 kids and all their stuff packed into a minivan for over 1000 miles can get tedious. And loud. And annoying. And create headaches (for the adults, that is). And there are a million questions that you can’t get away from.
But at the same time, what about the memories? What about the laughter and the silliness as you find yourself creating actions to go along with the song that everyone is belting out as you’re driving down the highway? (Okay, everyone but the driver was doing the actions, but they were singing!) What about all those rest stops when you find something worthwhile to stop and look at? Those conversations that naturally come up that you wouldn’t have opportunity or time to engage in during your normal routine?
I don’t know about you, but during the course of a road trip, I find my mentality switching from ‘Just enjoy the journey!’ to ‘Let’s just get there!’ many times over. It always comes back to a choice. I know what mine is! I choose to fight to enjoy the journey!
What will you choose?
Additional Resources:
- Finding Perspective when You Feel You have None
- Refresh Your Soul by Listening to the Rain
- Paths Produce Perseverance
- 25 Quotes to Bring Inspiration to Your Day
Elizabeth Tatham, founder of Inspiration in the Everyday, is a homeschooling momma of 5 who loves helping other homeschooling mommas create a unique homeschooling adventure your kids will love…without the overwhelm! Join in on the journey with 7 simple steps to make your homeschooling day go faster, easier, and with less tears here.