Dinner in Rochelle

A couple years ago, shortly after getting my pilot’s license, Linda and I took an impulsive flight to Rochelle, Illinois for dinner. While many restaurants were still closed because of the pandemic, I had heard there was a decent restaurant at the airport that was open.

We didn’t know anything about the restaurant, or whether the food would be good. The meal turned out to be okay. I don’t even remember what we ate. It was just a simple dinner that we could have enjoyed much closer to home.

So why did we go to Rochelle for dinner? Well, it was more about the “going” than the dinner. While it may be an hour and a half drive, we made it in a quick half hour flight, and the restaurant was located right off the runway taxiway at the small Rochelle airport. The dinner was okay… good at best. But the flight there with my wife as we saw the sunset view from the sky, and the view of the city lights below us during the flight home, all of that was fantastic.

It wasn’t about the dinner; it was about the excursion. It was the journey that we enjoyed, not just the destination.

When I was younger, life was all about achieving, realizing, and accomplishing. But destinations can leave you feeling empty. Our meal that night was just okay, but the evening was a huge win. When you appreciate and enjoy the process, the whole of life becomes enjoyable, not just the few brief moments of accomplishment.

Think about that degree you are working on… Teach yourself to enjoy your classes that will get you there, the papers you are writing, and the students sitting around you. On the team you play for, learn to enjoy the locker time, the practices, and the anticipation of the game. Even that huge work project that has you stressed… Take a deep breath and consider all the moving pieces, the individual decisions, and the tasks that work together to make it all happen.

There’s an overused Christian axiom that is apropos here: “Take joy in the journey.”

I’m really looking forward to heaven. Jesus promised that He was leaving earth to prepare a place for me. I can’t wait to see it. But in the meantime, I’m grateful He gives us thousands of little blessings along the journey. All I have to do is notice them and be grateful. Heaven is going to be wonderful, but I am also going to enjoy the trip right now.