Steering Wheels and Side View Mirrors

Not a dark and stormy night, but a dark one.  My daughter and I had left Houston for Dallas after she got off from work.  We were going to a Monet exhibit and some museum hopping. Always there is traffic, and  we did stop to eat.  About 9:30, we curved around the freeway and spotted our motel.  We were in the wrong lane to exit midst headlights and moving cars, so we were funneled on until dumped in very unfamiliar territory.  We had a Beta map on a phone.  To use it involved pulling into a parking lot or driveway, trying to read the nearest street sign, and then deciding how we could circle around the one way street we happened to be on.  When we arrived at our lodgings, I started to complain about being lost.  Wisdom came my way in a statement. “That’s what steering wheels are for.  To turn around.”

Now that’s an adage to live with.  We get lost for various reasons.  I’ve started a project without being clear on what was expected of me.  I needed a figurative steering wheel to turn back to a starting point and try again.  Quite often, I am not paying attention, and, suddenly, the landscape is totally unrecognizable.  I don’t have to continue in strange surroundings.  I might have to consult a map.  The saving action, though, is to spin the circle and head toward a known star. The ironic truth is a steering wheel is probably the only part on a car I truly understand.  I failed changing tires, batteries seem to work til they don’t, and I’m not sure carburetors still exist.

I first learned to drive on a Chevrolet with only a center of windshield rear view mirror.  I don’t even know when side mirrors came in.  I never paid much attention until I got a Jeep Cherokee. I loved the height.  The width had to be carefully judged.  My second driving adage:  “Trust your side view mirrors.”  As important as watching behind me, I had to constantly check if space between me and nearest neighbor was adequate.  I was shaky and slow at times.  However, if I could see light, I was safe from scrapes. Regardless of where we are, options are available to help.  A good example is a story about a boy who went away, got caught in a dead end, and had no light around him.

And when he came to his senses, he arose…Luke 15

(Read 15:11- 18 and apply as needed)