The Curves In life are what make life beautiful

​I drove to Charlottesville yesterday to do some hiking. For most of the way, the drive is pretty simple. I jump on I-64 and it's a straight shot. Like sometimes - I feel like I could put my car on cruise control and take a nap.

Don't worry, I won't try it. But only because I'm not a big fan of naps. 🤷‍♂️

The thing is, when you exit I-64, and make your way to places to hike, the road gets winding. It gets harder to figure out which direction you're going or where the road might swing you to next.

When it comes to driving, life is so much easier on I-64. It requires little thinking. And except for times when there is a lot of traffic, it's pretty low stress.

I think sometimes we like the people in our lives to be I-64 people. We like them to be straight line - cruise control - you make me feel like I could take a nap around you kind of people.

People aren't like that, though. As Godin says, "humans bring curves with them, wherever we go."

Here's the thing about those human curves.

Those winding mountain roads feel extra curvy when I exit I-64. That's because I'm comparing them to the straight line I just traveled. Sometimes humans feel extra curvy because we're comparing them to a straight line, too. And often - that straight line we use to compare them to - that line is us.

This morning, I'm thinking that's one of the challenges of this world. There's a bunch of curvy people running around engaging with one another - trying to mold one another - into straight lines that just don't exist.

You know, I've come to love driving those winding mountain roads. Especially after I get off the straight line that is I-64. I love them because they are different. Around each curve is something new, likely something I've never experienced before. I not only come to anticipate the curves; I've come to appreciate them.

I think that's a good strategy with people as well. Maybe before trying to fix them, to straighten them out, to mold them into the straight line we mistakenly believe we are - maybe before all that, we should slow down and appreciate that 'humans bring curves.'

I like going to the mountains. They are different. They make me look at the world differently. I think they make me see the world better.

It's the same with people. They are different. And when I find the beauty in those differences, people make me look at the world differently. I think they make me see the world better.