If you have ever had the pleasure of taking a long road trip with young children to an exciting place, you will recognize this question. Prior to departure, there is usually a lot of talk about the destination, and how much fun everyone will have once there. While there may have been some discussion about the length of the actual journey, it does not always register with all travellers. Why would it? It is not the exciting part. The journey is, in many minds, just the means to the end.
Inevitably, not long into the journey the question arises: “Are we there yet?”
No. We aren’t.
We are on a very long journey to what we all anticipate being a wonderful destination. And it will be wonderful. However, on this journey, which seems never-ending right now, we have already encountered detours, pit stops, flats, and overheated engines. The important final leg still lies ahead.
There is no doubt – and it should come as no surprise – that the drivers are tired, the kids are frustrated, and the novelty has worn off.
Having been on this road for a long time, we can look back and remind ourselves that we have made progress, learned how to adjust to the bumps, and kept moving. If we turn around now, the destination will be even farther away.
For those of us who have driven to faraway places, we know that it is precisely when we are getting closer to the end, when we are tired, and when we can see glimmers of the final approach that we must be most vigilant, clear-eyed, and patient.
This is one of the longest road trips most of us have ever been on.
I urge us all to remember to keep our eyes on the road, follow the map, heed the signs, and remind the kids that it will all be worth it.
