Do I write a short post - or work on my lesson....

Tough to decide. The completion of my post is for my pleasure, the completion of my lesson is for class on Wednesday evening. Surely I can work on both! But, alas, I don't have that much time before work time so will have to see how much I ramble this morning.

Day 18 of thankfulness - I'm thankful I got to work on time!

It is going to be a beautiful day. I've loving the beauty of the sky that I can see from my office window. Oh yes, I'm already at work, as usual. Although I must admit, I wasn't sure how quickly I would get here. I have alternate routes I can take to work. Some days I can take the "long way" (which really isn't, but it just seems that way). Some day I can take what I call the "short way" which is jumping on/off different "freeways" (for lack of another term to call them). Or I can even take what would be called an even longer way by taking side streets - depending on where I jump off and on at.

Today I had to take one of the alternate routes. As I was nearly the "curve" to where I take the I-10, the sign above the road flashed "Crash in tunnel, use alternate route". Well, that route would take me straight to the tunnel and since traffic was already backing up on the curve, I decided to go 'straight' and go around the road curve and merge into I-10 several miles down the road, long past the tunnel. But, as I rounded the curve and saw the signs 7th Avenue and 7th Street, I started thinking. Traffic really gets crazy and heavy right around the airport (after these two exits) and that is where I come into I-10 at. Hmmm. I decided to get off at 7th Street. I'm glad I did. I got off just north of University, the next light was Broadway. Turned left and took it all the way to my turnoff to the office. Traffic was light, and although I did have to stop at a couple signal lights, was at work right close to my usual time. In fact, I'm seriously thinking of changing my route! It was so much easier and a lot less stress than people changing lanes all around me and not being real wise in how they do it.

Changing routes are like changing things in our lives. My dear friend, mentor and former pastor, Steve, used to always say "If you do what you've always done, you will always get what you always got". There is a lot of truth in that statement. If you keep overeating, and gaining weight, you will never lose the weight you say you are "dieting' to lose. If you are continuously late for work, but don't leave earlier or change your route, you will always be late for work. And like me today, if I keep going the same way to work, regardless of the 'warning signs' ahead of me telling me to choose an alternate route, I will not get to work on time.

Change is most always good. Quitting smoking is good. Obeying your parents is good. Being nice is good. Getting to work on time is good. Being faithful is good. The key is to make your change a good one and one that you will stick with (watch those warning signs!).

I got to work in good time even though I took an alternate route because I had a 'warning sign' to do so. If I had ignored it, thinking it could have happened hours ago and they hadn't changed the sign yet, I could still be sitting on the freeway. (Memories of taking an hour and 40 minutes to get to work still weighs on me). I would much rather keep moving and take an alterate route, than sit and wait or stop and go.

Ok - guess I've written my post and can now look at my lesson plan for Wednesday and decide how to proceed with it. I CAN get two things accomplished this morning!

Hope that you have a blessed day - and that you will choose your alternate routes carefully - no matter what they are.

Blessings!