By the time I get to Arizona

I am right where I need to be and headed in the direction I want to go

A few years ago I was in Bryce Canyon for a family reunion.  It had been several years since I had been to that area of Southern Utah so I was not particularly familiar with the roads.  Although we had traveled with several other vehicles on the way in we had to leave early and drove out alone.  Most of the roads in that area are single lane and have few areas for passing.  I got behind a truck hauling a camper for what felt like forever.  It seemed to be driving somewhere between 5 and 80 miles an hour under the posted speed-limit and I couldn't get around it.  Even though the drive home had just started I was already feeling a little road rage and wanted the long journey to be over.  

Finally an opportunity came to get around the truck when the road came to a T junction and the camper turned right.  I don't know if I even gave much thought to which way I was supposed to be going but the sign had a familiar sounding name on it and I turned left thrilled to be free of the impediment to my lead foot.

I should have turned right.

Almost 2 hours later I became anxious as nothing looked familiar and we hadn't hit the freeway yet.  I stopped at the next town for directions where I found out I was in Kanab just a few miles from the Arizona border.  I drove angry for awhile but at least I was finally turned around and heading in the right direction.  

 source: http://www.kanabguide.com/assets/kanab-area-map.jpg

I made a mistake by not being clear about what my path was.  I made another mistake when I didn't take notice of where I was headed.  Sometimes I'm so busy just trying to get past something in my life that I don't pay attention to where that may lead me.

I had a friend when I was younger who always liked to say, "wherever you go, there you are."  I would laugh but it didn't hold much meaning for me at the time.  I realize now that I can't control where I am at any given moment.  It doesn't matter if I'm in Kanab or on I-15, it just is.  What does matter is what direction I'm facing.  Either I can be in Kanab and facing home, or I can be heading towards Arizona.  I've heard it said that it is better to be a foot away from hell and walking away from it than a thousand miles away headed straight for it.  I am not insinuating that Arizona is hell, just that it's not where I wanted to go :) 

Today I accept that I am where I am and that I will be conscious in choosing what direction I am facing.  It matters more that I am on my path and going in the right direction than where on that path I am.