Early in our marriage, my husband and I spent a lot of time together in the car. We’d go to the grocery store or out for dinner, Saul driving and me second guessing his every move from the passenger’s seat.
He always wanted to drive, which drove me nuts, because he likes to meander and I just want to get there. We’d be going to his parents house ten minutes down the road and instead of taking the straight shot down the interstate, Saul would insist on winding through every available side street.
Of course I’d question him in my uptight wifely way, but he’d simply respond with the carefree attitude of a guy sitting on a beach sipping a cocktail, always saying the same thing. “Think of how interesting life would be if we never went the same way twice.”
That line became a mantra in our marriage, but it’s been a few years since either one of us has said it.
Saul and I were driving to lunch the other day. Now a family of five, it feels like a stolen moment when it’s just the two of us. We were heading a few blocks away from his work when all of a sudden my husband turned the wrong way. At least to me it was the wrong way.
Totally forgetting there is no sense in questioning my husband, I said, “Uh, why are you going this way?”
He looked at me and smiled, then said, “Think of how interesting life would be if we never went the same way twice.”
After 18 years of marriage, and hearing that line more times than I can count, I finally got it.
Life is big and beautiful and interesting. We don’t need to be afraid of trying something new, going off course, or showing up 2 minutes late. The laughter and fun come from driving down the road of life and saying, “Hey, that’s cool. I’ve never seen that before.”
Are you finding yourself stuck in your ways? Uptight and stressed out because you feel like the world might fall apart if you loosen the reins? I get it, I’m a total control freak.
Let’s go crazy today.
Let’s drive a different way home from work today. Let’s talk to someone who scares us. Let’s leave a tip that’s a tiny bit extravagant.
I need a daily reminder to loosen up. Maybe you do too. So here you go: Think of how interesting life would be if we never went the same way twice.
