Detours Welcome
I’ve never been fond of the Interstate. It quickly gets you where you want to go, but it’s just so boring. The topography might change a little, but a section of the Interstate running through North Carolina is essentially no different than one in Oklahoma: concrete and billboards. And it’s a sure thing you’re not there to appreciate the scenery; traveling at 75 mph, your only goal is to book it as fast as legally possible from point A to point B. If you stop along the way, it’s probably at a gas station, rest stop or a motel from which you can still hear the roar of passing cars. Traveling this way, you don’t see the world. You just pass through it.
Which is why I appreciate a detour. It may get me where I’m going a little slower, but I actually enjoy the journey. If it’s a place where I’ve never been, there’s always the potential thrill of discovery: a beautiful landscape, a lovely old building, funky tourist traps and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I like to see how other people live, how they pass their time and the things they create. There’s a lot of world to see between points A and B, and moving quickly, you tend to miss it.
More often than not, life is about the detours. The stuff you don’t plan or deliberately seek, but that just happens to cross your path can enrich your life in ways you didn’t expect. We have to be open to chance encounters, to serendipitous adventures and new perspectives. Explore, and be willing to deviate from your planned itinerary. With so much to appreciate and learn in this weird, wonderful world, who knows what new experiences you’ll find to be Thankfulfor.
Image by Shannon Kokoska
Tori is a student intern who will be working with the Thankfulfor team over the summer. She is a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she is studying graphic design.
