Are We There Yet?

I love the first few hours of a big road trip.  The car is packed, everyone organized into their claimed area of the van.  My son opens his "car snacks" about 10 minutes away from home. Because its a road trip. And he can.  

The first hundred miles are a breeze - we don't even have to search for a new radio station.  The entire experience is one of excitement and anticipation of what adventures we will find.  Because, for our family, the road trip is as much about the unplanned side trip than the final destination.

On one trip through Wisconsin, we passed an exit sign called "Black River Falls".  Nic, only 4 at the time, wondered aloud if that meant they had a water fall.  I said, "Let's find out".  This is the picture of the falls we found.  It led to a road that led right thru Pepin, WI - birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  They had a museum.  I slammed on the breaks and pulled a big fat U-turn in the middle of the highway.  I was in Little House on the Prairie heaven.  All thanks to a random exit sign.  We have also stumbled upon things like the Iowa Speedway (yeah Rusty Wallace!) and the Covered Bridges of Madison County.  Yes, the ones in the movie.  

Because, it's all about the journey. 

What is it about a road trip that allows us to welcome and encourage unplanned side trips? And why is that so unwelcome in pretty much every other aspect of our lives?  Why is it so hard, even when we know how great it can be, to embrace and celebrate the unexpected and the unknown of the every day with the same excitement and anticipation of a road trip? 

I'd like to think we can. There are probably people that do.  And learning to do that is a journey in itself.  I used to plan my life 12 months in advance at least, and God forbid you call to tell me you were gonna be late for dinner.  It's a daily struggle, but I have tried to rely less on MY plans, and more on God's will.  Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two, and it's nice when they over lap.  But when they don't, I'll still have dinner waiting for you.  

We are less than a month away from a big road trip, and about the only thing I know for sure is that we are headed  to New England.  RIght now I should be figuring out places to rest our heads as we travel north.  But yet here I write.  It's not that I am not looking forward to our trip - but I am more curious about the unplanned adventures - so maybe we should just get in the car and drive.  If no one knows where we are going, then when they ask "Are we there yet?" I can stop the car and say "Yes, we are"!