Sometimes.. you have to take the long way around

Paul was no stranger to a good short-cut. He even believed that he was born two months early because he thought nine months was too long for any person. He became known to those most familiar with him as "Shortcut Paul". The alarm went off with a loud sounding buzz awakening Paul from his sound sleep. Paul sat straight up in bed startled by the buzzing clock. He immediately jumped out of bed, and nearly tripped on the litter of clothing lying around the room as he made his way to the bathroom to shower.

Like a fly zipping through the air, he emerged from the bathroom. His hair was still wet as he darted and danced around the tiny bedroom looking for something to wear to work. The notion of not putting clothes away seemed like a perfectly good idea to Paul. Why bother going from closet to dresser drawer when you can leave it all on display.

The collective cluttered mass of discarded clothing covered the entire bedroom in a sea of bright cottons, blue denims and other various abstract colors and blends. Paul frantically rummaged through piles. He couldn't be late to work again. This would be his second time this week! He grabbed the first things he saw and dashed hastily out the door. The tattered fading grey tape on the driver's side window of Paul's 1999 sedan began to peel again, and as he crammed himself into his seat some of it stuck to his shirt. The car took off with a bang leaving a fumous cloud behind.

Paul navigated his car through traffic the way a salty old sea captain does a ship in the high open seas. He avoided other vehicles on the road and even a pair of joggers out for their morning run.

Finally, he pulled into the parking lot of the office building where he worked. The dilapidated car smoked and sputtered. He took up two parking spaces. The passing lot attendant politely asked him to move. This request fell on deaf ears as Paul hurriedly made his way towards the building. The attendant didn't say a word. They began to write silently on a small grey pad. And as Paul left, the attendant placed a ticket on the windshield.

Dashing towards an elevator Paul bumped into someone trying to fit onto an elevator. He squeezed his way inside the packed compartment even though there were others right across from it. "Tenth floor please!" Said Paul. And up the elevator went.

No sooner had it begun its upward move, that it came to an abrupt and immediate stop. Panic ensued on everyone inside the elevator, and you could hear a collective discontent fill the compartment. The elevator was stuck. In their haste to get on the first elevator, each of them had ignored the weight capacity. The only thing Paul could think about was how he should have waited or taken the stairs. This was one Shortcut that left him thinking, sometimes you have to take the long way around.

We all may know a "Paul". That person that is always on the hunt for the best shortcut. Maybe we have even been that person a time or two. Life comes with many a wonderful thing, but life does not include shortcuts. There is a process for most things, and it is through these processes we arrive soundly at out destinations. When we try to avoid these actions, we typically find ourselves in a clutter of things looking for the best way out. Too many times, the unexpected pops up sticking to us like tape that has outlived its usefulness. The process of the preparation is just as important as the plan we have to arrive. We are all hoping to arrive at our life's destination. And life hands each of us or own process or cross to bear, and we must serve it out. Sometimes a good short cut can save time and frustration, and other times it adds to them. Most shortcuts are born from good intentions. But even the best of intentions requires some patience.