Take Things As They Come

There are a million things in life we will encounter, plus a little extra. Some are good, and some are bad. If life were a graph (as much as I dislike math and its analogy-type things), no parts of it would be steady. Okay, so maybe little parts, but I imagine it would be all over the place. Spikes up and down, high and low, some minute portions that were flat. If you have taken a simple math class, you probably know the type of graph I'm talking about. Sometimes, there are even stories behind them. When we covered them in actual math class (ick, I know), my teacher had us make up a story about the different parts of them. I don't want relate this whole post to math, so I'll just say one last thing relating to graphs. After this, my language will be void of math terms. Instead of a made up story put to a small span of plots on X and Y axes, let's look at our lives as the sort of unpredictable, see things as they come sort of thing. See? It doesn't have to be a graph. Look at it however you want. I'm choosing to look at it as a road trip, but a reeeaaalllyyy long one. You come equipped with a general path or plan, a destination in mind, and some general skills and instructions given to get you where you need to be. Generally, a GPS, a map, some snacks, a spare tire, a friend that is willing to come along with you (and if you want, multiple), and a car are some good starting points. Let's just assume you know how to drive. In one way or another, you have been instructed with do's and don'ts that allow you to operate a car. You have acquired some practice, because just learning the theory isn't enough (Dolores Umbridge, I'm looking at you). As you start out on the road, it's easy. The speed limit is low, and as a new driver, that's somewhat comforting. As you make your way towards city streets, the speed begins to increase. Gradually, though, you have become comfortable with lower speeds and you are so ready to take on that 45 MPH. Remember, this is a road trip, and this the beginning. Maybe on the main roads, there are some potholes that haven't yet been filled. They're small bumps, but they seem much larger. You're just getting used to the feel of the car. Every so often, your progress will halt. There are traffic lights, stop signs, traffic jams (yay, rush hour!), and you have to fill your tank with gas. There a number of other things you may encounter, but I thought I'd name a few. Regardless, waiting may seem pointless and annoying. At least you haven't run out of songs to play on your playlist, and you haven't become annoyed with your very good, kind friend(s). You have still managed to handle the obstacles as they arise, maybe you're invincible. But wait, you haven't yet reached the highway. That's a whopping 50 MPH, and you're still getting used to going above 40. Unfortunately, it's coming faster than anticipated. You manage to get up to speed, but suddenly, the course is not so easy. Things that used to seem like a small annoyance are really starting to get on your nerves. To make it even worse, there's nothing good on the radio AND you've gone through your whole music library. Twice. At this point, traffic lights are the least of your worry. At some point you forgot there were things in the car that could help you assess your situation. I mean, maps and other such resources are for wimps, right? Highway to freeway was hard, but you managed. Until (drumroll, please!), you take the wrong exit. But maybe taking the wrong exit is okay, because you make some new friends on the way and they lead you where to go. Should have used the GPS, am I right? As long as those new friends don't intentionally tell you the wrong thing, you are back where you need to go. You've learned some valuable lessons from previous experiences. Several flat tires, wrong exits, checking your route multiple times, and highway hypnosis states later, you have finally made it! There were countless pit stops, times of frustration, and times where what seemed easy was hard, you have actually reached your destination! And it was a hard journey, but it was fun! And you learned one thing, take things as they come. Otherwise, it's not likely to go well.