Roadblock

I live and work in the city. In it, there are construction sites everywhere – regular maintenance on roads and utilities, new construction, emergency repairs. I plan my days, and, though there's a little wiggle room, I don't plan the delays I meet on the road all of which can be very frustrating. I map out the best routes trying to avoid traffic, but the jams I find while driving are out of my control. Set on my ways and routines, when I come across a roadblock I can find myself in a downward spiral of aggravation and pessimism. This, of course, is metaphorical of life: We have a plan. We are set on it. We hit a roadblock. Then what?

Well, we have choices to make. We can sit there waiting for the roadblock to clear up. However, sitting there, waiting in a state of inertia, we are lethargic, apathetic, bored, passive, joyless, dissatisfied, and jaded. We could push against the roadblock. Yet pushing against an obstacle creates other problems. We act without full knowledge of what's on the other side, we get hurt, we lose our imagination, our resources and our strength, we risk our safety, we ignore our protection, and we can set ourselves back. We could, on the other hand, take a detour.

We tend to block ourselves from direction, guidance, creativity and inspiration by stressing the shoulds – I should do this, He should do that, This should be the way, That should be the norm, We should take this road, They should think this way, I should be there by now. We block ourselves by setting our ways. But taking a detour means letting go of our insistence of an exact way life should go, things should be, and people should act. It means letting go of control.

When we reach a roadblock and take an unexpected detour, we are given time to reflect. We allow new pathways to open. We discover new things, new musings, new ways of going and of doing. Obstructions don't necessarily halt our progress. They may be part of our path, giving us the opportunity to go where we intend to, even if in a roundabout way.

Today is a good day to flow in a different direction when faced with an obstacle. Let's trust a higher knowing. Let's be open to intuition and guidance. We will get there. An indirect way is still a way to arrive.

Image found at flickr.com. Blue Mandala by Marco Braun.

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