Heading for…

I finally finished my work at 5:30, an hour and a half later than I had planned to leave the office. I was on my own for dinner. My husband had brilliantly and lovingly offered to take the children to Chuck E. Cheese for the evening.

As I slid into the driver’s seat of my minivan and turned the key in the ignition, I tried to decide what to do. Eating at home would require cooking, and possibly grocery shopping. Wendy’s and Popeye’s were nearby, but a little old hat. By now I was pulling out of the parking lot and heading north.

By the time I reached the end of the T-intersection, I thought maybe a barbecue sandwich at Dairy Queen would be the ticket. I headed east toward downtown.

By the time I came to the first stop sign, I realized I didn’t really want any ice cream. I headed north. Was there an Arby’s on this side of town? No. Too bad. I needed caffeine, and a Jamocha shake would be perfect. Taco Bell always offers cheap, tasty food, and I could get one of those blue Mountain Dews…

I could already tell this meal was not going to be healthy. Why couldn’t I be more like Lisa and like salads? Oops! I came to the last stoplight on the road. I headed west. I really needed to exercise more, too. And it was such a beautiful evening. I guess I didn’t need to be wearing my winter coat after all.

Oops! I should have turned left at that last light. Now I was going to have to make two lefts on a 4-lane road to get to Taco Bell. I looked for my next opportunity to head south. I took a residential road until it ended, and then turned west. I had to turn north to get into the grocery store parking lot, and maneuver my way to the drive-thru.

After a quick look at the menu, I decided on a double decker taco supreme, pintos n beans, and cheesy potatoes. For caffeine, it would be a few doors north to McDonald’s for an iced mocha. Then a north, east, north, east, and ahhhhh home.

It would have taken me a lot less time and energy if I had thought about what I wanted before I left work. I have a bad habit of starting out on a trip before I know where I want to go.

Which brings me to life lesson number 474: You can’t reach your destination if you don’t know where you’re going. Did you ever feel like you’re just wandering in circles (or squares in my case) and not getting anywhere? First you have to decide where it is you really want to go. Then, you can work on how you’re going to get there. GPS (God’s Powerful Spirit) will help you if you follow it’s lead.

As Lao Tzu first said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” What are you waiting for? Take that step!