“What if, on the first sunny day,
on your way to work, a colorful bird
sweeps in front of you down a
street you’ve never heard of.” — Mark Nepo
Well, it wasn’t a bird that swept down in this case, but a dog. I was walking by my window when I spotted our neighbor’s miniature schnauzer George gleefully racing by… with no owner in sight. That was my moment of choice. Carry on with the full schedule I had laid out for the day and pretend I hadn’t seen him, or try to catch the dog.
Within minutes I was outside, but he was already gone. I went by the neighbors house and their Italian grandmother, who was visiting and babysitting while the parents were at work, was beside herself about their dog running loose. So I got in my car and drove the direction of the errant pup. I found him far down another street — being pursued by another neighbor on a bike. Since he wouldn’t come when called, we enlisted the aid of a middle aged woman walking her large dog and the three of us herded him down the street. It was a hysterical sight, this happy little dog running and being kept moving the right direction by my car behind him, an orange-jacketed biker on one side and a large dog covering the other side of the street.
Finally we got him home, and I was rewarded with multiple hugs from the relieved, emotional grandmother. It brought back memories of my own robust Greek yiayia and her generous hugs. And of course when I returned to work, my dog herding skills just a tad sharper, I found myself enlivened by the adventure and ready for creative work.
We always have those moments where we must choose – our planned path, or a detour. The planned path might seem to get us to our goal faster, but the detour often is where the juice is…
Pearls for Reflection: When a choice comes up between the planned path and a detour, how do you decide which to take? What might you gain if you choose one verses the other? What does a planned route or detour look like in your writing