Rough Road Ahead

Ever wish that life would just hold up a traffic sign that would tell you that there is going to be some bumps in the road or turbulence in the air? It would certainly make things easier because one would think we would be better prepared for whatever it was life decided to throw at us.

This last week was especially rough yet peaceful. I went back to school on Monday so my schedule was like this:

7:10 Wake up and get out of the apartment
7:30 Find parking at Pierce
8:00-12:25 Accounting
1:00-5:00ish Work
7:00 Head back to Pierce to find parking
7:30-10:00 Health

Pretty hectic with a lot of driving involved, but what can you do? If it helps you reach your goals, then why the hell not deal with it for a few more weeks. But that isn't really the rough road. (Although coming into work sometimes was pretty rough) Wednesday I get a call from my mother, my grandfather was admitted to the hospital. Thursday I get a call from my dad, my grandmother was admitted to the hospital. Friday we get a call at work that one of our doctors passed away.

It was a very sad and unpredictable end to the week that is for sure. But as we stood in the office and grieved, we realized that our lives were forever changed by Dr. Richland and for that we became different people by just knowing him. It was clear every time he came into the office that he brought a smile to everyone's face and that we suddenly became alive when he walked through the door. Through him we knew courage, strength, love, and compassion. Even though he has passed, it is something we will always carry within us and something that will always make us smile whenever we hear his name or see his picture.

Not typically a peaceful week right? For some reason though, I was able to do a lot of evaluation of my life and surround myself with people I care about. Last night was a culmination of it with a badly timed comment, dinner, a fake birthday, and a movie. Every night this week, I went to sleep feeling oddly at peace with myself, who I am and where I'm at in my life. Maybe it was all the exhaustion taking its toll but for once in a really long time I was able to close my eyes knowing more about myself then I have recently.

Maybe it is the rough roads or the spontaneous detours that give us the opportunity to settle our minds and focus on the basics where we learn the most about ourselves. Then again, maybe it is just the simple focuses on how to just get through today where we realize where the excess baggage is.