Week One and Already Sidetracked. You, too?

Sidetracked.

The very word conjures up a mental image of me standing beside tracks moving in the direction I was hoping to go, looking aimlessly at others speeding toward the goals that seem to forever elude me.

Do you ever feel that way, too? Especially at the beginning of the New Year, when everyone’s talking goals and dreams and plans?

It’s only January 7^th and already I’ve received an email informing me that I don’t use enough “key words” in my blog posts to skyrocket me to the top of a Google search for Christian speakers; I have yet to wash my filthy dirty car—something which has been on my “to-do” list since before Christmas; and I honestly thought last Thursday was Tuesday until half the day was over.

And the list could go on…

Yesterday at 1:20 pm I dropped my daughter, Ashton, off at the airport, gave her not one, not two, but three separate hugs goodbye, followed by several million “I love you”, “be careful” and “have fun” statements, then watched her make her way into the terminal as she heads back to Alabama for her second semester of college.

At 1:50 pm I got a phone call.

From Ashton.

“My flight is delayed due to the weather, which means I’ll miss my connecting flight.  They just told me that I’ll have to spend the night in Houston and wait until 8 pm tomorrow night before I can get a flight to Alabama. What should I do, Mom???”

What should one do when they get sidetracked from where they planned to go?

Probably the same things I told Ashton to do.

You see, Ashton could have gotten on the plane, spent the night and all next day in the unfamiliar town of Houston and hoped someone would be free to pick her up from the airport when she finally arrived in Alabama. But it was all so complicated.  Too many details depended on the perfect alignment of other uncontrollable details.

“Mom??  Mom??  I need to know what to do. What do you think?”

I could tell she was on the brink of tears.  Getting sidetracked does that kind of thing, no matter how old we are. Delays, unexpected events, and blocked goals feel overwhelming to all of us.

“Come home”.

I could hear her breathe a sigh of relief.

Maybe you, like me, have big plans for where you want to go this year.  Oh, most likely, it’s not someplace like the University of Alabama. The places you and I want to go are places where we lose the extra weight, finally get organized, fulfill the dreams we’ve tucked away in our hearts, spend more time with loved ones, grow closer to God, finally forgive and move on, or just figure out what’s really important to do each day and do it. These are our destinations.

But we get sidetracked.  Every one of us.

What then?

Go home.  Simplify.  Make plans to start over.

Then, like a girl headed toward her dreams, get back on track.

Donna speaks to 1000’s of women each year all across the United States.  To have Donna speak at your event click here.