Highway Insights- (Part 2) Whats YOUR Intention?

If you’re not intentional, life happens on accident. Let that settle in for a minute. Maybe sometimes that works out, but often it means you aren’t living your life, you’re living someone else’s life.  Do you ever find yourself looking in the mirror and asking yourself “How did I get here?” I know for certain that before Nikki’s bout with cancer, we didn’t necessarily live each day with purpose, going thru the motions while trying to juggle work, kids, hobbies, whatever. Let’s all be honest, life moves fast and you really don’t have the time to be as deliberate as you would like because there are timelines to keep, mouths to feed, tasks to complete. But when cancer hits, everything comes to a screeching halt. The noise is gone. You turn your focus onto what really matters. And now, by force, you become intentional with every moment that you have.

Being intentional has been the hallmark of our trip. “We will decide how to use our time, money, talents and resources with purpose and thought…. not because everyone else is.” And so, against conventional wisdom, I didn’t have a job lined up immediately after retirement (I like to tell people I became both homeless and unemployed). Believe, me there was certainly pressure to secure something in order to enjoy some ‘stability’ after 20 years of bouncing around the globe. I even attended a one week program that was geared towards making you ‘career ready’ for a job after the military. The instructor was extremely intelligent and had achieved financial stability; yet he couldn’t understand why I would jeopardize so many job opportunities with a 1-year hiatus. “You need to get your resume out there now, network with Navy alumni, set yourself up for a second retirement so that you can play golf and travel whenever you want.” That’s the American Dream right, that’s what you are supposed to do. But is that what I’m supposed to do? I felt that a year to reflect was a small investment considering that this was such a major junction in my family’s journey. I didn’t want  to just take the ‘safe’, mainstream route because it’s popular. I needed to forge the path that God designed for my family. (I realize the irony of that decision considering I spent the last 20 years of my life doing exactly what I was told) So with that, we intentionally got off the main highway to create the space for thought and originality.

Let me be clear, I am not advocating being different just for the sake of being different. And I am in no way indicting the tough choices people make in order to provide growth and security for their family. What I am challenging is "lemming mentality"… because if you just follow the person ahead of you they could lead you directly off a cliff. “You need to do this, you need to buy that, your kids have to be involved in…” All the noise. All the people telling you what to do. Stop yelling at me! Perhaps we just need to establish dedicated moments in your day for uncluttered thought... Or if you’re really feeling froggy, get in an RV and just start driving…:) (but beware, Google’s going to tell you the top 10 things you HAVE to see on your trip). At any rate, being intentional begins with simply stepping outside your normal life to carefully examine your priorities.  It was that mentality that caused Nikki and I turned off the internet of good ideas to embark on an offbeat journey of original ideas.

Great idea Mike, I’ll just drop everything I’m doing and meditate. Meanwhile, bills need to be paid, kids need to be fed, house repairs need completion. Trust me, I get it. But the world has been given a tremendous chance to reevaluate its priorities- our current pandemic affords the opportunity to be just as intentional as getting in a n RV for a year. The life you led is on pause if not changed forever. Whether you like it or not, you are off the beaten path. Think of all the things that you thought you had to do but now can’t….do you really miss them? You've been given the gift of Withdrawal, to step outside your life and  evaluate your path. So what’s your move? Rather than just twiddle your thumbs waiting for normal to return, perhaps you can reimagine what your normal can look like. One of the best things that we have experienced while on the road is the lack of dependable internet. We also don’t have a TV. It lowers the ambient noise significantly in our lives and it is a blessing to go on a fast from all those pop-up ads, over dramatic ‘news’ stories, and the insatiable appetite to know what someone else ate for dinner. If we’re honest, we’ll admit that swiping thru social media can make us jealous as we compare lives, angry when we hear opposing views, unsettled because something bad is about to happen….but it’s not until you are disconnected that you realize the grasp that the internet and outside influencers have on your life. Being intentional with your priorities starts with critically filtering your influencers. So work thru this during the pandemic. Shutoff every screen- no Insta-sham, Fakebook, or Twit. Get out the old white board and do this simple drill…divide it into 4 quadrants and label them as Positive influencers, Negative influencers, Priorities, and Opportunities. Now just stare at it and let it marinate. What’s important in life, what is the life God designed for you, how is mainstream marketing pulling you away from that? This drill is available to everyone, it is not discriminatory, and isn’t associated with a political party. The key question to as yourself- Is your behavior due to thought and conviction, or because someone else told you to do it? 

In RV driving, you are forced to be in the slow lane. I would find myself being passed by 70 year old grandmas and initially it was frustrating, but once I embraced the slow lane it became empowering….it’s amazing how much more of the world you see, how less stressed you become, and interestingly enough, it didn’t take that much longer to get to my destination. Won’t you embark on this journey of intentionality with us? Pull over into the proverbial slow lane, set your cruise control, figure out what values are non-negotiable for you and forge the path that God has designed exclusively for you. It will take some risk, it won’t be safe, but GO FOR IT! After all, you don’t want to accidentally end up in a place you were never intended to go.