Getting There is Not the End, but the Beginning

You know how, at the end of a long road trip, after you've finally made it to your destination, you tell yourself that you will never get in a car again? Then, maybe after you've had a short nap, you find yourself in the car going to dinner or out with the Girls or after a few days, you could be looking at the long drive home you have ahead of you.  In any case, you realize that you will forever be on a road trip, and that you will continually have destinations which you will always be attempting to reach.

I hadn't really given much thought to what happens when I finally reach my goal, and then the other day, Margie the Magnificent (my incredible WW leader) mentioned to me that the journey will not end once I get to “Canton”, but it will merely shift. Shift to maintaining rather than losing, shift to living rather than struggling, shift to being self-confident rather than self-conscious. 

As I have often said in the posts here, the “Road Trip” is symbolic for the journey through life. Now I see that life is not one big road trip, but rather like a series of road trips along a perpetual winding road. So, when this journey ends, another one will begin. Another thing I may have mentioned— a time or two— is that Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” has always inspired me, both as a writer and as a person, and that has made all the difference in this adventure. Many times in life, there will be the option to choose one of two roads. And while there may not necessarily be a wrong choice, there is a right choice for the right time. Each choice will lead us to the next fork in the road, and so on. The journey never ends, the destination and purpose only changes. 

While I am not currently standing at the divergence of two roads, I’m sure there are some of you out there who are. Don’t fret about your choice, embrace it. If you land on a path that is not taking you where you want to go, then look for the next fork. If you aren't sure where you are on your path, get our your compass, map, GPS or phone a friend! That’s the beauty of not taking the road trip alone!