On Maps, Roads and Hotels...

Okay - here's the thing about maps ... apparently the big blue lines are roads that get you where you want to go fast - without much fanfare and with great efficiency. It's important to consider that the map makers used a very thick blue marker to make those lines - just like the ones your teacher used to use - to draw your attention to something important!

The small pink lines are apparently roads that get you where you want to go with a whole lot of scenery but at the same pace at which the glaciers are reseeding. The small pink line seemed so straight to me - getting us to where we wanted to go but with the benefit of a whole lot of cool scenery! Sure everyone else seemed to be on the big blue line but hey - the road less traveled right?

Well, the trip that should have taken 7 hours from Portland to Santa Cruz, California took 14 hours! Here's the thing - I've always wanted to drive the Pacific Coast Hwy along the coast and figured we could watch the ocean after spending so much time in the mountains. Well after about an hour during which we covered maybe 15 miles - I began to see the ocean as overrated. Particularly because there was a storm and we couldn't tell the difference between the sky and the water!

Along the way - we also realized that when you buy McDonald's at 10pm in a town where they rolled up the sidewalks at 8 - you really should never look inside your burger (generally a good safety tip for McD's at anytime, anyway).

And while we're on it - you know when that guy on the Motel 6 commercial tells you that at Motel 6 - "we'll leave the light on for ya..."? Yeh, well that light is actually a "bug zapper" - seriously - RAID makes better motels than these folks! And if you get a sense of "timelessness" at Motel 6 - it's because none of the rooms have clocks in them!!!

Okay - so with all that in mind what's the point? Well, the point is that on our twisting and turning mountain to ocean to mountain drive yesterday as we were wondering if the invention of sasquatch came from people lost on drives like this - I remember Mike Yaconelli's words to live by - cherishing each moment with the perspective - "What a ride".

This sabbatical journey has been an incredible ride and God has been - well, God. Inspiring and speaking every step of the way. And what wisdom did He give in the midst of the extra 7 hours? Just this - sometimes to be part of something really special - you have to take the "small pink lines" even though many others are doing quite well with the "big blue lines."

!Manana!