Ever Make a Wrong Turn?
Who are your traveling companions?
And sometimes we just need people with fresh eyes, opinions and ideas whose very presence inspires us to be more than we think we can be. People who love and believe in us. Take someone along, you might just find life's journey is more fun!
When we lived in the Philippines we often traveled with a van load of young people in tow. Those were fun times for all of us. One thing that added to the entertainment was my driving. I became known as the guy that would be talking away and miss almost every turn. Of course, our young people had a lot of fun with this.
If I happened to be talking as fast as I was driving at the time, the kids would watch and wait to see if I would miss the next turn. “Oops, oops...lampas na!” (you just passed it) they would shout as I drove by my turn. “Did I just miss that turn?” I'd say, “I can't believe you would let me drive right past that! Oh my gosh!" Fun times - lots of laughter!
My driving antics became famous, especially among the Deaf. On one trip Ivette was riding in the back with the Deaf young people. Adrian, one of our riders, could see I was nearing a turn I needed to make. He signed to Ivette and the others, Watch Dave, he's talking...he's going to miss this turn.”All eyes on Dave and...sure enough, I missed my turn. Lots of squeals and laughter while tapping me on the shoulder..."Pass, pass, they'd sign, some pointing back to the road I should have turned on. And the good thing is I could always find some way to get turned around and head back in the right direction.
It's good to have people we can travel through life together with isn't it?
If I happened to be talking as fast as I was driving at the time, the kids would watch and wait to see if I would miss the next turn. “Oops, oops...lampas na!” (you just passed it) they would shout as I drove by my turn. “Did I just miss that turn?” I'd say, “I can't believe you would let me drive right past that! Oh my gosh!" Fun times - lots of laughter!
My driving antics became famous, especially among the Deaf. On one trip Ivette was riding in the back with the Deaf young people. Adrian, one of our riders, could see I was nearing a turn I needed to make. He signed to Ivette and the others, Watch Dave, he's talking...he's going to miss this turn.”All eyes on Dave and...sure enough, I missed my turn. Lots of squeals and laughter while tapping me on the shoulder..."Pass, pass, they'd sign, some pointing back to the road I should have turned on. And the good thing is I could always find some way to get turned around and head back in the right direction.
It's good to have people we can travel through life together with isn't it?
The camaraderie, the sharing, the feeling of taking the journey together...especially when it's understood no one's left behind. I've found the trip is just more fun with friends, especially when I've given them the freedom to speak truth into my life. There's a different feel, a different relationship with folks whom we've empowered to help us improve our life's experiences.
And we travel safer. On our trips with the young people we had plenty of fun together, but there were times I really needed several sets of eyes to guide me through some tight spots while driving across a narrow bridge without side rails on a mountain road, as well as other difficult places. From the picture above you can see we had riders of all ages. Everyone knew I highly valued their presence as well as their opinions. And not just on road trips. You see Ivette and I were visitors in their country. They had valuable insights into Filipino culture and customs that helped us many times in knowing how to handle a delicate situation or a problem person. Thank you everybody!
It's the same way living here in Orlando. I have people who are taking the journey with me. Mentors and coaches, truth speakers and friends. But it's because I've given them permission to be my eyes and ears in a tight spot. First of all I've looked for and tried to develop close enough friendships and built relational bridges of trust between us, trust that goes both ways. I know that I can ask for their help. And they know I would do the same for them.
Who are your traveling companions?
Can you name at least 5 people whom you feel you could trust to listen and give you their unbiased opinion when discussing your tight spots? Not that their advice is the final word on the subject. But people who are willing to be resources for ideas and opinions that you would consider viable as you work through difficult situations. Your trusted advisors might be in different areas of your life, different ages, and at different times.
Life is too short and too precious to go it alone.
- Your life is surrounded by people
- Why not consider bringing some of them into your circle of trust.
- First, test their trust in small ways.
- See if they can keep a confidence in an area that wouldn't decimate your reputation if they didn't work out.
- At the same time see if you pass their trust test.
If you happen to take a wrong turn, make some, not so good decisions, that's when trusted friends will really help you. It's been said, "A friend is someone who knows your past yet still believes in your future."
And sometimes we just need people with fresh eyes, opinions and ideas whose very presence inspires us to be more than we think we can be. People who love and believe in us. Take someone along, you might just find life's journey is more fun!
1 comment:
This is your best post so far, it really sounds like you.
Post a Comment