(W) Wrong Turn

Have you ever seen the movie Wrong Turn? It's a crazy slasher film from 2003 in which a group of deformed, inbred hill-folk go on a killing spree. And a handful of college students are plunged into a torturous and bloody nightmare- due to some bad decisions.  Of course,the primary mistake they make, (as the title implies)- was a wrong turn. 

Setting out on a fun adventure or a fantastic weekend is always perfect in one's mind. But sometimes there are obstacles, detours and unseen changes that alter the ideal trip.


Every single morning of every single day, I lay in bed and tell myself that today is going to be the day. 
I'm setting out to make a new me. 
I've mapped out my future in detail -and it includes healthy food, daily exercise, hard work and wise choices. 

It means flossing, moisturizing, budgeting, and being kinder.

I've penciled in days of creativity, volunteering, baking, sewing, and simply meditating. 

I've polished my compass, set my GPS, and made my plans. I've memorized the path in my head and I'm sure how to get there.


But you know what? I never get there. Somewhere along that bright sunny road, I make a wrong turn. 


I'm too tired to floss, too lazy to moisturize, too busy to help someone. Too broke to do crafts, too crabby to be kind, too stressed to balance my checkbook, and too weary to bake.

And all those obstacles make it impossible to continue down that perfect path.

Oh, there are days when I make it to the first rest stop. Complete mornings when I've counted my calories and walked half a mile. And I think I'm doing great.
But then, right smack dab in the middle of the road is a chocolate bar. 
Yes, there's room to go around it- and there are ways to ignore it completely and continue heading straight.
But do I?
No.
I make a wrong turn.

And that's when bad things begin to happen. That's when I throw caution to the wind and live for the moment. That's when my plan is shredded and completely destroyed by foolish temptation.

I'm constantly making wrong turns. 
On days that I've mapped out kindness, some jerk cuts me off in traffic and I swerve onto a trail of road rage and wickedness. 

Those times I'm set on getting organized, I suddenly acquire various body aches- and then sidetrack to a napping spot.

Days when I have plans to draw or paint or write, I see that the roadway needs mowed and weeded and swept- so I do that instead.


Life is a series of wrong turns. 
If you're lucky, there is paradise waiting around an unscheduled bend.

But if you're like me, there is probably a bunch of genetically mutated hillbillies with machetes ... waiting there with a bag of Hershey Kisses.