I have never been a good passenger.  As a carsick child, I sat beside Dad in the front seat on long trips while Mom and Clarke were relegated to the back.  Once I got my driver’s license, I insisted on being the driver.  Partly that’s because driving usually prevents me from feeling motion sick.  Partly, to be honest, it’s a control issue.  My friend Fran, who has traveled with me for 30 years, recently pointed out to me that in all that time, she has never been the driver.  So John Herbst has a lot to put up with when he serves as my chauffeur.  We both feel ridiculously proud if we make it all the way from Windward Towers to the church without any driving comments from me.

But several weeks ago, Karen Waddill offered me great advice that has made my passenger days much easier:  Look out the side window.

When I focus on the road ahead, I obsess:  Does John see that car?  Has he clicked the turn signal?  Does he know we need to take a right?  Why aren’t we in the other lane?  But when I look out the side window, I notice the scenery.  I see people and signs and buildings that I’ve never noticed before.  The view out the side window invites me to wonder, rather than to worry.

When I meet with my spiritual director, he also encourages me to wonder rather than worry; to shift my thinking from the mindset of “I’m so worried about X” to “I wonder what’s going to happen next with X.”  Worryingabout a situation doesn’t make anything better and often makes us feel worse.  Wondering, on the other hand, unclenches our hearts and opens our eyes.  Wondering helps us to see God at work.

As we continue to navigate the pandemic and all of the other challenges facing us right now, I invite you to practice turning from worry to wonder.  Try looking out the side window.  You’ll be surprised at how much better it makes the journey.

Blessings,

Anne+