The Plan: attend the P!nk concert in Nashville, TN with the
first stop being here…
This house might not seem like much to you but this was my
first destination for the weekend that I have been looking forward to since
December. I was going to catch up with Erin then get
all dolled up for the concert and a good night out with Erin and my sister. This was my plan and I allowed plenty of time
to make it happen {after all it was going to be at least 5 hours}. We left
Zionsville at 9:45 AM and knew we would gain an hour due to Nashville being on
central time.
We all make plans and for the most part expect them to go as
planned but what happens when they don’t? Are you flexible? Do you know what
your priorities are? Do you become selfish?
On I65 around Elizabethtown, Kentucky traffic came to a
backed up. We didn’t think much about it for a little while because we were
creeping along but by no means making a significant dent in the many miles we
still had to drive. We had no idea what
happened and of course started to become frustrated because this was not part
of the plan. We had places to be and people to see! We had plenty of time before the concert started
but I can become anxious when I have to come up with a plan B and not to
mention a plan C. What about my plans to
catch up with my friend, go out to dinner and enjoy Nashville? What if we missed the concert that we spent
good money on?
Traffic eventually came to a complete stop. When I say complete stop, I mean complete
stop we were not moving. We put our cars
in park {I think some even turned their cars off}. We got out to stretch our legs and talk to
others. We asked around to see if anyone knew anything.
We were taking pictures of the long line of traffic in front and behind
us waiting to move. People were walking
their dogs and taking smoke breaks outside of their cars, because they
could. My sister and I were updating
Facebook, Instagram and playing many rounds of Ruzzle against each other while
we waited.
We decided to look for an
alternate route since time was ticking and traffic was still at a
stand-still. We found one that seemed
reasonable and wasn’t too far out of the way that we would be adding much more
time to our trip. We needed Exit 86 and
we were at mile marker 89. Easy enough, right?
At mile marker 88 I had my sister get out of the car to take a picture
because it took us over an hour to move one mile but we were hopeful with all movement forward!
Thankful for smart phones we were finally able to figure out
that there had been an accident. Not
just a small one and unfortunately not just the vehicles were hurt. Families became broken on I65 this day
because unfortunately people lost their lives.
We didn’t know the details of the accident but when I heard my thoughts
changed and my priorities became clear.
It wasn’t about the concert or having extra time to enjoy Nashville, it
was about my safety and the fact that my family and friends didn’t need to
worry.
 |
| We saw this after 3 hours and seeing on our phone there had been an accident |
|
My sister and I made the best of our time {I was so thankful I was not alone on this trip}, continuing to
play games, take pictures and just talk.
We even did our make-up and changed into our concert clothes all while
waiting in the car. We made the best
with what we had.
We stayed calm and did
not complain. We understood there was
nothing more we could do. We replayed
every choice we made and thought “what if.” What if we would have…left Friday night, left earlier Saturday morning when we were ready, stopped at a different location or time for lunch, what if... I was keeping Erin updated by text and she
was also looking into more information on the accident. We later learned that six people were killed
in two different accidents on 65 but close to one another!
Three hours later {a total of 4 hours} we made it the last
two miles to our exit and found our way to Erin’s house. Every little step was more of a relief…Tennessee
state line, Clarksville exit, Erin’s house, and finally the Bridgestone Arena
where we did get to see P!nk in concert!
This was the only sunshine we saw on this day. For me it was a pocket of hope and smiles that we saw for only a short time after making our exit off of I65. God was watching over my sister and I for sure!
I made it to my destination…
but at least six people did not
on this day.
Don’t let a day go by without telling all the ones you love how
much they mean to you. Realize that
plans do change and we can’t have control of every situation. Life is too short to not enjoy every moment
to the fullest. Be flexible, smile,
laugh, relax, have fun and live your life with no regrets! The what ifs can be fun to think about but we
can’t get hung up on them or even change what has happened we have to keep moving forward, otherwise life will
leave us behind. Everything happens for
a reason and some things may not make sense in the moment but they will come
full circle someday. Sometimes we just need to slow down, enjoy what is in front of us and stop wishing for more and what we think is better.
Tomorrow is never guaranteed so what are you doing to make
the best of today?
xoxo
