As I sit here writing, I think back to my days employed in the financial industry. I had no knowledge then that my life would be detoured in a way that I could not have foreseen. One which would take me on an entirely new path and direction in my life. Brain surgery, and the ensuing contraction of a deadly form of bacterial meningitis that spiraled into septic shock, would send me on a much different journey. One which lead to disabilities, years of rehabilitation, and forced me to retire from my profession in finance. An entirely new life from the one I had planned for myself and my family.
All of us face detours, or as some would call, adversities, in our lives. Some are voluntary, those changes that we choose to make by our own decision. But others are involuntary, thrust upon us by events out of our control. Think back on your life, I’m sure there have been detours that have changed the path you’ve been set on. Perhaps it’s been illness, death of a loved one, or loss of a job. Many detours can present themselves in our lives. What determines the quality of our life going forward is how we approach and respond to them.
I believe unforeseen major detours we experience result in two different roads. One is simply a detour that takes us off our current path but puts us back on the same road. They are easier to handle, temporarily sidetracking our life but eventually allowing us to return to our plans and goals. The other type of detour however, results in a closed road. Forcing one to make a decision to take a new path, one completely unexpected. A new journey, one resulting in an entirely new direction. One which shakes us to our very core, and one which forces a choice on how to respond. That choice being optimism and hope, or pessimism and despair. I chose to overcome my detour through optimism, determination and faith.
Anyone reading this has that same choice. Accept what unexpected event has occurred in your life by remaining positive, or allow it to destroy you by choosing to be negative and resentful. Moving forward, I will be sharing not only my journey, but also other stories and messages of other individuals overcoming life’s unexpected detours.