The Road —Finally—Taken

On our way to Tulsa recently, my husband and I experienced serendipity. That is, we had a chance, unexpected occurrence that turned out to be enjoyable and, in our way of thinking, an advantage to our well-being. I love that.

What happened? We had to take a detour. Yes, as simple and annoying as that. Of late, we are more apt to say, “Oh, well,” instead of grumble. After many years, we’ve finally learned to take little (or big) set-backs in stride—at least, for the most part. Having driven through Graham, Texas, we were on SH 16 when we came to road construction that looked more like road destruction. A large detour sign blocked our chosen path. So, we turned left, the direction my husband assured me was north; being directionally challenged, I am always orienting myself. Fortunately, we were not in a particular hurry, having already decided to stop for the night in Chickasha, OK, determined to slow down and breathe after too much busyness and stress.

So, having no choice, we took the path less traveled by : Farm Road 2652. And that…made all the difference. The countryside spread out, lush and green, and the air smelled sweet, swelling from spring rains that still hung in the air. A pick-up truck rattled past us now and then. The scenery waxed poetic, but, in truth, was not so different from our own familiar roads—until we came upon the following:

All at once, we were transported to the time of tin lunch buckets, picturesque grape arbors, and simple , self-propelled, swinging merry-go-rounds—a time dipping into the experiences of our parents and grandparents. Although I have long sworn to always look to the future and not the past, the minute we stopped the car and stepped out, my husband and I reveled in the early twentieth century. Time slowed and I felt a mystical connection to those relatives in the badly-faded, black and white pictures of my youth. If not for that unwelcome detour sign, we would have missed Red Top, a settlement established around 1901. Always be ready for serendipity.