In the movie “Speed”, when Alan Ruck delivers the line, “I’ve already seen the airport,” the bus carrying the bomb returns to where his character’s tourist-ready feet first touched Los Angeles soil. He didn’t expect the adventure that would take him back to where he’d already been, and that cracked me up. Now, I’ve been on a similar journey…a divine misadventure…and I praise God that my face doesn’t look as disappointed as Alan’s did in the film. Don’t get me wrong, I had moments when I didn’t react all too positively to my plans being interrupted, but I did embrace the adventure…and I’m still laughing.
It began as a daytrip to the Grand Canyon because my family has never seen it. Cooler loaded, gas tank filled, we left Las Vegas and headed toward Arizona. We cranked the tunes while looking for mountain sheep approaching Hoover Dam. The sight of the bridge that is being built there was incredible! What a wonder – and it will cut about 15 minutes from travel time winding through the mountains. We giggled at a truck on blocks with all four tires missing, and then it happened. About 16 miles into Arizona, the engine of our car stopped! We pulled over and did some troubleshooting, but were unable to get “Mac” (the name of our Toyota Highlander) back out on the road under his own power.
Two hours, lots of exploring and a hawk hunting a lizard later, the tow truck picked us up and took us back to Vegas where we scrambled to find a rental car at 3:00 PM on a Saturday. I want to say “thanks” to the two vehicles that stopped to see if we needed water, the tow truck driver that long-hauled us but got us back safely and the rental car agency guy who picked us up so that we could get to his shop in time to get a car. God bless you all. Here’s what I learned:
· Flexibility is crucial. Jesus lived one interruption after another. We should embrace interruptions.
· There are some nice people out there, but they’re not in the majority. I thank God for the opportunity to see that.
· God is good. Our day could have been much worse!
“We’ve already seen Las Vegas.” One day soon, we’ll get to the Grand Canyon. In the meantime, we’re not disappointed to be home.
It began as a daytrip to the Grand Canyon because my family has never seen it. Cooler loaded, gas tank filled, we left Las Vegas and headed toward Arizona. We cranked the tunes while looking for mountain sheep approaching Hoover Dam. The sight of the bridge that is being built there was incredible! What a wonder – and it will cut about 15 minutes from travel time winding through the mountains. We giggled at a truck on blocks with all four tires missing, and then it happened. About 16 miles into Arizona, the engine of our car stopped! We pulled over and did some troubleshooting, but were unable to get “Mac” (the name of our Toyota Highlander) back out on the road under his own power.
Two hours, lots of exploring and a hawk hunting a lizard later, the tow truck picked us up and took us back to Vegas where we scrambled to find a rental car at 3:00 PM on a Saturday. I want to say “thanks” to the two vehicles that stopped to see if we needed water, the tow truck driver that long-hauled us but got us back safely and the rental car agency guy who picked us up so that we could get to his shop in time to get a car. God bless you all. Here’s what I learned:
· Flexibility is crucial. Jesus lived one interruption after another. We should embrace interruptions.
· There are some nice people out there, but they’re not in the majority. I thank God for the opportunity to see that.
· God is good. Our day could have been much worse!
“We’ve already seen Las Vegas.” One day soon, we’ll get to the Grand Canyon. In the meantime, we’re not disappointed to be home.
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