Detours

You never know where a detour will take you. This morning I left for work at the usual time, before sunrise. Usually on Saturday the traffic on the freeway is rather light, and started out the same, until I drove through the construction zone.

There is a new freeway being built that will eventually connect to the existing one. The lanes have been narrowed and concrete barriers have been placed, so weekday traffic is heavy and I was hoping for a smooth ride.

I saw tail lights ahead and traffic barricades coming into the left travel lane, so maneuvering to the right lane, I exited the freeway. I knew that I would be a little late by taking the alternate route, but I didn’t know how long the slow down would be so I took a detour.

There had been blowing dust when I left which, by now, had turned to rain. And the wipers were set to high, washing away the monsoon joy. This detour took me through a part of the desert that I don’t usually travel at this time of the morning. My total commute is thirty-six miles and over half of that today would be on a two-lane desert highway.

There was minimal traffic in the warm pre-dawn hour as I traveled in peace. The rain soon stopped, leaving a light coat of water on the asphalt. I was traveling east and I could see the faint orange light far in the distance. With every mile I drove the the faint orange light grew larger. There were flashes of lightning all around, in hues from blue to red and green. One after another connected with the ground as I basked in the electric glory of the Sonoran Desert storm.

The sunrise, now in all its splendor, was painted across the sky with a brush dipped in various hues of orange, yellow, purple, and green. Every color of the rainbow was represented as I watched from behind the windshield. I forgot,in those still moments, why I had taken this detour, but I was glad that I did.

I wanted the moment to last forever, but I knew it wouldn’t. I pulled over and snapped several pictures of the awesome beauty, thankful for the detour that brought me here. Yes, I was even thankful to be late for work.

You never know what you are going to find on one of life’s detours. If you are looking for beauty, that is what you will find.