Is a roadblock limiting or liberating?

The other day, my husband and I were feeling a little disconnected from nature, living in a city, and being homebound. On this occasion, we united to convince our eight-year-old to drive across the city to a conservation area near the lake. 

It required my being the backup, sharing how we must do this as a family. Saying yes to my son bringing the phone in the car helped. I’ve let go of worrying about screen time. 

Our estimated 30-minute drive ended up being an hour. There was construction, we had to navigate roadblocks and road closures. We also weren’t the only ones with this idea to head to the lake. When we finally arrived, the park was very crowded and there was nowhere to park. 

It was one of those moments where the next 30 seconds counted before turning around and going back home. There was a chance to salvage this situation and head to a little park north. Chances were there would be fewer people away from the lake. We could be there in 15 minutes if the GPS was accurate.

To our delight, when we arrived at our new destination, there were spots to park and not too many people. We had a nice walk. 

My husband and I breathed in all the good smells and the picturesque landscape, reminiscing about when we were young and how the smells took us back to playing outside all day. 

Our son couldn’t relate to that. His thoughts as we walked were about Minecraft, how there are birch trees in Minecraft, how this scenery would look if it was in Minecraft. He went on to describe all the things he recognized in nature, he was right, and I was impressed about all things he’s learning from playing Minecraft. 

I admit it is tough to see that my experiences as a kid will not be my son’s experiences. His memories will be so different from mine. Part of me wishes he could have the same experiences as me, but then I catch myself. He’s navigating his childhood in his time, where he is now. He doesn’t need to travel back in time and experience mine. 

Once I moved around the physical roadblock of finding a place to walk, and then the roadblock of my son not loving the same things I do, I could face the facts.

I accept that my son’s happy memories will be different than mine.

What he needs most is me taking the time to play in his world, even if it’s not that interesting to me. It’s how I get to know him.

And he’ll go on outdoor adventures with me because that is how he’ll get to know me, even if it’s not that interesting to him.

What matters most is that we truly know each other so that no matter what my son feels like he can talk with me. 

Sometimes you can have the best plan and intentions and then hit a roadblock. You have a choice, turn around and go back or find another way to your destination. Not giving up and finding another way, just might give you a better experience than you imagined. Through that journey, you may discover something new about yourself.

What’s a roadblock you’ve tackled recently at home or in your business? 

“If you are going down a road and don’t like what’s in front of you, and look behind you and don’t like what you see, get off the road. Create a new path!” – Maya Angelou

How are you going to create your path?

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