Detours

I've been away from this space for a long time.

Too long.

That blur is morning dew streaking down my dirty windshield ... or is it a tear?

People - some I don't even actually know - have asked if I'm still doing the blog.

Yes.

Kinda.

But, yes.

The actual living of life sometimes gets in the way of writing about living life.

Since early spring, I've had to do, do, do -  this project, this deadline, this priority, this issue, this thing - and little time to write about the doing. I'm not one of those bloggers whose job it is to blog. I have a full-time paying gig that has nothing at all to do with this space and that, along with the rest of my life, has been the focus of my efforts and attention.

But I like it here and I'm glad to be back. Thanks for joining me. And thanks for missing me. I missed you, too.

Actually, I'm glad to be anywhere these days. It seems as though I've spent a lot of time trying to get places, but I keep hitting detours. Literally.

Sometimes, it's all I see.

My already-cumbersome daily commute has gotten a lot more tedious and, well, at times, crappy, as of the last few months. They are building a bridge and reworking all the roads around it, including the ones I take every day. And they're fixing an overpass bridge near my home. And closing part of the road I live on to lop off a couple of hills and widen the road.

All at once. All this summer. All the time.

A new interstate bridge rising out of the Ohio River and stretching toward shore to take its place alongside its established kin.

That's how they make a living - building and fixing things while the days are long. It's hard work and it's dangerous. I totally get that and respect it.

I am, after all, a lover of paved roads.

I am not, however, a lover of how my complexion looks in the soft glow of brake lights.

So for me, getting from Point A to Point B so I can make a living has often been a painful point in the day.

But when you really, really like where you work and love where you live, well, you make concessions. It's temporary, even though it feels like it's going to last forever.

Especially when your bladder is full and the gas tank is near empty.

Little orange bastard.

Still, it's ok.

Besides, life's like that. Sometimes, we speed along, zooming from one destination to another. Sometimes, we can just cruise by. Sometimes, we have to slow down.

Sometimes, we come to hard brake; a jarring stop.

Sometimes, we run on empty.

... and seriously need to wipe down the dashboard ...

Sometimes, we have to take an unplanned detour.

The important thing is to get back on course.

Because the road ahead - however winding or twisted - ultimately leads us home.

* Please note: most photos were taken through a dirty car windshield while at a complete stop, usually with the car in park. So, don't be a dumbass who takes pics while driving.