Speed bumps make me smile.  My brother, Matthew, enjoys life just a little bit more than most, and I will never forget a week that I spent with him when he was 10 years old.  That summer, I was working feverishly to complete my master’s thesis, and although I felt pressed for time, I offered to have Matthew stay with my husband and I for a week while my parents tended to some business at home. The college campus where I was doing my research had a winding road, full of speed bumps, which went from one side of campus to the other.  These speed bumps made the short drive across campus feel like an insufferable, never-ending journey when one was late to class.  And even on the best of days, they were an annoyance.

That summer as Matthew and I drove across campus to get to the library for a morning of research, he cheered as we drove over each speed bump.  This mundane trip, for me, was suddenly so much more.  With Matthew in the car, the trip across campus suddenly became a glorious, and inexpensive, day at an amusement park.  As his cheers increased, so did my speed, and we “zoomed” toward the next speed bump at 15 mph.  When we reached the library, he wanted to, “Do it again!” And I had the privilege of assuring him that after the library trip, that was exactly what we would do.  The drive home, now a much anticipated sequel, served as our motivator for accomplishing our tasks at the library, and the whole morning was much more enjoyable, and somehow exciting, than I had anticipated the routine trip to be.  That day, joy was in speed bumps.

Since that day, when I am inconvenienced by the speed bumps of a college drive or a parking ramp’s spiral, I smile. After that summer with Matthew, they will forever be so much more than a bump in the road.  Now I can see them as a reminder to slow down; not just for safety but to enjoy the adventures and joy that every moment of life can hold.

I try to perpetuate my learned appreciation for speed bumps when I am faced with other bumps in the road of life.  Sometimes when we are faced with misfortune in our life, it can feel like we are being slowed and hindered. Much as I perceived those speed bumps when I was late for class, ordeals in life can make our everyday journeys feel insufferable.  However, if we can hold to Matthew’s reminder to embrace those bumps, we might be able to recognize that even inconveniences can enhance this crazy ride called life.

So that is what this blog is about.  It is a reminder to myself to find the joy in speed bumps and to celebrate the small stuff.  As a mother of two, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, full-time student, and any other number of roles I am happy to play; life can be overwhelming. However, it is my desire to do my best each day, trust God with the details, and when life gets bumpy, I desire to “Consider it pure joy.” (James 1:2)