It’s that time of year. Yep….more than at seemingly any other time, the dead animals on the side of the road seem more common this time of year. Maybe they’re finding their winter nests. Maybe they’re slowing down and have worse luck. Or maybe…just maybe…they’re curious about what’s on the other side of the road. We can learn a lot from a dead animal on the side of the road. Really…we can!
Let’s start with why they ended up there. No..it’s not because they got hit. You jump the gun. Back it up a few steps.
Before it ended up in its precarious position (aka: rigor mortis), that animal was brave. That animal took a risk. That animal decided the potential of what was on the other side of the road was worth the risk. So the animal ‘let it go’ and threw caution to the wind….and…..
Well….let’s not focus on how it ended. Let’s instead focus on how it started and the process.
There’s that word again. Remember what I wrote a few weeks ago about how I used to abhor that word and now I see it as chalk full of hope?! Yep…even here, in this situation….it’s chalk full of HOPE! “And hope does not disappoint” it tells us in Romans 5:5.
So…looking at how it all started, here are some Lessons of the Road Kill Café. Take these to heart….they may just change your life!
Opportunity is knocking
Look around you. Check out your surroundings. Ever wonder how things got to be the way they are? Wonder even more how to change things to make them better? Change your life to make it better? Your circumstances? Your relationships? Never settle for ‘good enough.’ I decided earlier this fall that a ‘meaningful level of tolerable existence’ was no longer acceptable, and so I made my decision to move.
There’s GOT to be something else out there. It may seem out of reach but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep trying. Maybe it’s just out of reach because you haven’t moved close enough to it. And to get closer to it YOU have to move. YOU have to take a step. YOU have to get out of your comfort zone. Rocky the Raccoon wanted to see what else there was in the woods he could see from the outside but needed to experience from the inside. So he saw the opportunity and he took it. He tried. He moved.
Sometimes the trees hide the forest
Upon what are you focusing? When you look across the horizon, the sky, the street, out the window, what do you see? You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘can’t see the forest for the trees.’ That in essence means you can’t see the big picture because all you see is the obstacle in front of you. Take a step back. Get a different angle. If you want to look at the sky with a new set of lenses lay down flat on your back, on the ground, and just look up. You’ll see things you never noticed when you just tilt your head up. Get a fresh perspective. Invite a friend to give some insight. Seek spiritual counsel from a pastor or church leader. It’s what’s inside that is the most beautiful and tantalizing of all. If our friend Rocky had quit when he saw all the obstacles to getting to the other side he never would have tried. And that leads to our next lesson of the Road Kill Café.
Try. Keep trying. And when you want to quit…try some more
Most animals crossing the road have had at least once or twice where they got cold feet and turned back. You know what it looks like. From a distance you see a critter start to emerge from the brush on the side of the road and scamper across the street. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! He stops….looks around….and even with no traffic in the area decides he wants to go back. Ever wonder what made him hesitate? Why change course when you’re half-way there? Maybe from his perspective he didn’t know how close he was. Maybe he was the scout and others were going to follow. Whatever the reason, at some point in time,
he makes it across the street and on to greener pastures. It doesn’t matter what is holding you back, what the hesitation is, what things you are reconsidering…just keep trying! If you quit you will 100% without a doubt get squished in the middle of the road. You’ve seen the ones that stopped. It’s not a pretty sight. Don’t let that be you!
Keep looking ahead
No animal ever gets where they are going if they’re always looking around at the scenery, getting distracted, and chasing ‘sparkly things.’ If you want to get to the other side pick a spot, figure out how you’re going to get there, and get going! Having your head on a swivel is helpful to keep check on the traffic pattern, but ultimately you need to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving! And here’s a little hint…the shortest distance between two points is a straight line….so just go for broke, focus on the target, and get there! Don’t let anything get in your way.
And if something goes wrong….and SPLAT happens….and you find yourself staring at road kill, there’s one more lesson to be learned…….
Food Chain!
Not every animal is successful in getting to the other side of the road. Sometimes it’s Rocky Raccoon and other times it’s larger. Sometimes even SIGNIFICANTLY larger! But even when the critter meets its untimely end, who’s to say it was untimely? Who’s to say it wasn’t part of the plan? How else would some other animal live if one of the ‘unlucky ones’ didn’t fall a little short of the goal? God cares about the birds of the air…and He feeds them through Road Kill at the Road Kill Cafe’. So even if things don’t turn out as you had hoped and you feel like you got squished on the road, remember…..there’s still something that comes from it……you could be giving someone else life through your efforts.
You can find more thoughts on Road Kill by Jennifer at http://www.jennfreeatlast.com and by Leisa at http://life4inga.blogspot.com
Circle of Life
By Elton John
From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the Sun There’s more to be seen than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done
Some say eat or be eaten Some say live and let live But all are agreed as they join the stampede You should never take more than you give
In the circle of life It’s the wheel of fortune It’s the leap of faith It’s the band of hope Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle, the circle of life
Some of us fall by the wayside And some of us soar to the stars And some of us sail through our troubles And some have to live with the scars
There’s far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the Sun rolling high through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round
In the circle of life It’s the wheel of fortune It’s the leap of faith It’s the band of hope Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle, the circle of life
It’s the wheel of fortune It’s the leap of faith It’s the band of hope Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle, the circle of life
On the path unwinding In the circle, the circle of life
Songwriters: JOHN, ELTON / RICE, TIM
© Walt Disney Music Company