There's a stretch of highway in my town that has a stoplight every few blocks.
If you hit it just right and they all turn green, you're golden.
But, man, on those days when you time it wrong and hit every red light...
It's brutal.
Stop.
Start.
Stop.
Start.
Adds what feels like an eternity to the drive across town.
It's enough to drive a person just a little bit crazy (or maybe crazier?).
It's kind of like the way we travel through life.
Sometimes we're in the zone, hitting every green light.
Life is good.
We've got the radio playing our favorite songs, sun shining, cruising along without a care in the world.
Then BAM!
We hit a red light. And have to stop. Sometimes suddenly.
Then we start up again, slowly getting back up to speed.
Feeling good again, tapping the steering wheel with our fingertips, keeping in time to the beat.
And BAM! Another red light.
It can get really frustrating.
But it's all part of the process.
No matter how many times we stop and start, what we need to focus on is that we're still making progress. Still on our way to where we're supposed to go.
Sometimes it just takes us longer than we had hoped to get there.
But the funny thing is...those red lights also give us time to pause and think.
Those stops along the way allow us to actually notice what's in our path.
Instead of just flying right past, we get to pause and admire the landscape of our world, the people driving in the cars next to us, the sun shining through the trees.
Maybe even see a rainbow every once in awhile.
What would life be like if it were all green lights?
If we never had to stop?
I'm not sure I'd want to find out.
Next time I drive that stretch of highway, maybe I'll wish for all of the lights to be red.
Maybe at each red light, I'll pause and be grateful for life forcing me to stop and enjoy the view.
And maybe, when that light turns green and I start again, I'll be that much more prepared for the rest of my journey.
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