I'm proud of where we live. In just one mile, I can pop into my state's largest shopping mall! Head 30 miles north, and I'm hiking trails in the north Georgia mountains and enjoying breathtaking waterfalls. Just 30 miles south and I'm being ushered to my seat at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. It's the best of all worlds. That's why I was so excited when I found my neighborhood.
Even though a bustling community is just around the corner, my neighborhood is tucked away along a winding road that still boasts caution signs of horses crossing. That's right, there's a horse ranch right across the street from my subdivision, along with a few farms. Since I moved here, about four new subdivisions sprang up, but most of our trees remain. With all this progress, there have often been times for a few adjustments - widening the roads, adding lanes, drainage system repair and the like.
But throw up those orange and white barriers and you can hear my blood pressure rise. I despise it! And don't let it be the one lane ride behind the road patrol car. It's not that I'm in a rush. In fact, I don't have a commute other than dropping my kiddos off at school and returning home to start my day. It's the inconvenience of having to wait. It sends me into what my grandmother called a hissyfit.
Today, as I sat waiting for my turn to use the one-lane-only route to get home, I thought about how this inconvenience applies to many areas of my life. While I gnashed my teeth last summer during a bridge and road widening project, once it was done I enjoyed the end results. Traffic flowed better and the newly widened road provided a much more efficient route for all of us to enjoy. Life is sometimes the same way. There are times when the journey requires a reset, a time to go under construction for improvement. Whether it's in my career, personal life or both, I can recall all the times I had a hissyfit during times of construction, yet I enjoyed the end results so much so that I usually forgot how painful or inconvenient that construction period made me feel. Life is full of them.
When I needed to refocus my priorities to get my writing on track, there were several events that threw me off course to get my attention. Usually these times came with construction periods. Either I needed to refocus my faith, schedule writing sessions, read more or walk through some growing pains. All part of the process to progress. By the time my under construction moments are over, I'm usually pleased with the end result - I'm stronger, more focused, a better mom, employee and servant. Sure, the construction moments slow us down, but that's what they are designed to do, pump our brakes so that we can do the necessary work to improve.
On Monday morning, when I yield my part of the road to the cars sharing that one lane, I'll try my level best not to roll my eyes. This temporary construction moment will result in an improved driving experience and more efficient traffic flow. I just have to learn to respect the process, and appreciate those growth moments. If you never undergo construction, you don't progress. So here's to life's construction moments and fewer hissyfits!