Easy Street

I don’t like driving mountain passes! I feel anxious going up, fooled in the small valleys in between and scared when going down those 6 % grades. It’s even worse when there are a lot of trucks.

Going through the mountains that border Oregon and California got me thinking about how the difficult times in life are like going through those mountain passes. Going up you can’t see where you are. It’s hard on the car like it can be hard on the spirit. There are twists and turns that by the time you get used to them they change. Some trucks go so slow but some cars go so fast. I find myself judging my progress against them – just like I tend to do in life. At the top of the pass there is a vista and things can look very clear for a moment but then it’s all downhill! And that can be as hard as the up hill climb.

As I came out of the mountains into California I saw Mt. Shasta brilliant in the sun! It was amazing and for many minutes the difficulty of the mountains was worth this view. As I came down to flat interstate I went through Yreka, CA and then saw an exit sign that I HAD to take: Exit 770- Easy St/ Shamrock Rd!

I had to get off on Easy St. – didn’t everyone want to live there? Would there be big houses? Folks that looked like that were always happy? Did their luck show on Shamrock Rd? How could I live there??

What did I find? A rural road with few houses. Nothing special, no great signs and then I remembered: Easy Street is a state of mind – not a place or destination. I smiled, got back on the freeway and took a picture of the sign so I could remember.