Under Construction Forever?

Two months ago, the maintenance supervisor at work announced that the road in front of our building would be shut down until the end of August to widen it into four lanes and make a roundabout. 

The stretch of road is still a dirt-covered mess with giant concrete pipes and construction machinery everywhere. 

I’ve adapted.  I can go over a mile out of my either east or west to get back and forth to my home or to the hospital where I do assessments. 

As I did the familiar left turn at the light where I would have gone straight in the spring, I wondered if I would know when the construction was finished.  Although the construction workers are great at putting up “ROAD CLOSED” signs, you never see a “ROAD NOW OPEN” sign. 

What if I continued to take the long way to work when the straightest, fastest way is wide open.  What if I never bothered to test it out, see how it’s progressing?  What if I became a creature of habit, costing myself more time and gas money than necessary?

It occurred to me that it would be very easy for me to avoid the risk of traveling down a potentially closed road forever since the detour is safe and predictable.  I know there’s been situations, people, and conversations I’ve avoided for so long, I don’t even know if they’re still “under construction” or if the pathway has since become more safe and passable.  

I’ve spent a lot of time building up nice safe walls and skirting around all the issues that threaten to allow people to know who I really am.  It’s a safe place, but to be honest, it’s pretty lonely.  Am I willing to risk exploring those places I’ve closed down, giving those people a second chance, stepping out of my familiar routine to see if there are better ways to live?

It’s worth a shot.  Hope I don’t get a flat tire…