Destination Ahead!!

I work with a lot of people whose lives have fallen off the tracks.  Often they’ve been on a journey and some obstacle has fallen their way and knocked them off the tracks, now sitting in the ditch next to the tracks, but no longer moving down the road.  After we begin talking about the obstacle, what life road block knocked them down, I always ask where they were headed in the first place.  I am always amazed how many don’t have an answer for that question. 

I share with each off them it is like going on a trip without a clue of your destination.  How do you know what to pack?  How do you know what to bring?  How do you know what to set your GPS to??  That’s hard for a planner like me to understand.  Before I leave for a trip, I plan.  I make a list and I check it twice… okay… three times.  I list what I will need to wear (after checking the weather ahead, of course). I list what I will want to accessorize my outfits, and surely I will list which shoes would be best.  I will also list any food I might need to take along, any books or paperwork I may need, and I can’t forget things like phone recharge plugs, a laptop, or my MP3 player. 

But again, I can’t begin to make my list, I can’t begin to decide which clothes to wear, until I know my destination.  If I’m heading north to Kalkaska and it is late fall, then I had better bring along some long underwear, some fuzzy sweaters, and a pair of mittens.  But if I’m heading to the shores of Virginia Beach, I will pack a few sun dresses, some sarong or two, and at least two bathing suits. I can’t stand to put on a wet one.  Then I must finish my ensembles, depending on what we’ll be doing once we arrive.  No sense in bringing along some cute bracelets and matching beaded necklaces if I’ll be spending my time in the woods, walking trails, sleeping in a tent, or hanging around the campfire at night.  And surely if we are heading to the beach, some dangly earrings are a must and a comfy pair of worn-in flip flops would be on the list. 

Yet, how do you pack when you have no clue of the destination?  And how do you prepare? Are we going to kick back and rest? Then I’ll be sure to pack my e-reader with a few good books attached.  But if it’s a work trip, if we have a full itinerary and the day will already be packed with a list of To Do’s, then I wouldn’t waste my time packing additional items that will never be used.  I drive my husband nuts every time I begin the process of creating my packing list, but surely he reaps the benefits of my thoughtful planning, just as I do.  He is always the first to ask “Did you pack the whatever?” and of course I did.  He would be pretty bummed if I hadn’t. 

When people head out toward any destination, a plan is needed.  It’s one thing to get derailed; an unexpected divorce, a death of a loved one, a job lost… but it’s a whole other problem if you don’t know where you were headed in the first place! We all need to take time once in a while to ask the question, “Where am I headed?” and then begin creating a packing list to get there.  Most destinations have several routes of arrival, but who wants to be heading to Kansas when you planned on hitting the East Coast?  If your plan in life is to be whole, healthy, and happy, then your packing list may want to include things that will help you get there.  If your plan includes getting debt free and helping others, then buying stuff you really don’t need isn’t helping you get there.  Take some time this week to ask yourself some good questions: “Where am I headed?” and then “What do I need to be doing or not doing, obtaining or getting rid of, to get there?”  May our train tracks continue to cross paths as each of us continue our journeys to our destinations ahead.