Through the Woods in a Mini-Van We Go!

If you haven't had the experience of sciatica yet, you just don't know what you're missing. I've been in agony since August. I know it's one of those lessons you need to go through, I just wish it didn't last so long. I make deals every morning in meditation; "Okay, God, I get it. I need to ask for help. Great message. So, I'll ask my ex-husband to muck the stall, my son to walk the dogs and then I'll be better, is that okay?" Nope. I still hobble out to the mailbox and my patience wears thin.

My son's relatives are in Massachusetts and he wanted me to make the trek to see everyone for Thanksgiving. I have an aversion to travel of any kind; I get car sick, I get impatient, I'm really a miserable travelling companion. As I sat on the couch with an icepack on my behind, my son pleaded with me to go. After six of my resounding "NO!s" he relegated himself to the recliner and our depression filled the room.

All Thanksgiving eve I tossed and turned. What kind of mother doesn't spend Thanksgiving with her son? I gave in and took a seat in the very back of the minivan between the Vermont Shortbread box and the "Sorry" game. I'm convinced God has a sense of humor as the "Sorry" game became more pronounced in my peripheral vision.

"Wanna play?" Tony (my son) saw me staring at the Sorry box.

"Sure."

He lost the first couple of rounds and then he nailed me on a few other games. What I noticed is he lost so graciously. I couldn't do that when I was a kid. The board would go flying into someone's face as pieces scattered under the seats. "You cheated!" was always my refrain. Each time he lost, instead of anger, he'd say "Oh, I should've moved my other guy. I'll try that next time." He didn't get hung up on his mistakes. He didn't regret losing, he just enjoyed the journey. I looked up to the heavens and I said "Thank you, God. I got the message."

I've spent alot of time worrying about: the business; will we raise the money for Room to Read? Will my pants still fit for the next BNI meeting? The list goes on and on. What I'm missing is the thrill of the journey. It took being trapped in the back of a mini-van for hours to finally understand it's about the journey, not the destination.

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.