The Road Trip: A Travel Guide for Life’S Journey

By Kathleen Graviano

We all have a purpose in this life, but our purpose is not an end result. The journey from our first pitiful cry to our last breath and sighthe challenging road trip that is lifeis what brings us excitement, meaning, and lasting grace. In The Road Trip: A Travel Guide for Lifes Journey, teacher and author Kathleen Graviano shares the many lessons she has learned along lifes way and helps us discover the skills and attitudes to not only survive our journey but to actually enjoy the ride.

While we might embark upon our lifelong road trip without a map or even a destination, Graviano gives us a guide for understanding both in her conversational, insightful style. Each chapters travel-log prompt asks us to relate these universal wisdoms to the twists and turns of our own experience, no matter where we are on the journey. At times, life will have us in the drivers seat, cruising along, and at other times we will have to get out and push. How we learn from the good times, the bad times, and the eternal changes will determine whether we can eventually lean out the window and shout, Wowwhat a ride!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462023448

Kathleen Graviano

Kathleen Graviano was a teacher for more than thirty-four years. She inspired her students to be lifelong learners, just as her hundreds of students inspired and taught her. Kathleen and her husband of forty years have two children and three grandchildren. They reside on Long Island.

Book preview

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Life Is A Journey Of

Mind, Body, And Spirit

Our Life Begins On Someone Else’s Journey

Accept People Where They Are On Their Own Journeys

Every Map Has Its Own Compass

Life Is A Series Of Challenges

Look For Life’s Lessons

Change Is The Only Constant

Crossroads: Choices Verses Expectations

Live In The Moment

You Are A Unique Make And Model

The Relationship Highway: Proceed With Caution

Mind Your Own Business

The Challenging Road To Forgiveness

Roadwork Ahead: Time Passes, Roles Change

One Life: Two Journeys

Take Time For Pit Stops

Life At The Intersections

Criticism: The Give And Take

Finances: A Long And Winding Road

Temptation: The Real Road Test

Communication: An Open Road Or Roadblock?

Pave The Way To Love And Acceptance

The Rules Of The Road

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my love and gratitude to the following people:

To my husband, Tony, thank you for your encouragement, your enthusiasm, and most of all, for believing in me when at times I didn’t believe in myself. I love you.

To my dearest family and friends who have journeyed with me on this road trip, thank you for all the joys and challenges we’ve shared, the laughter, and the tears. We have all learned that burdens are lighter when they are shared and joys more meaningful when surrounded by those you love. I have been blessed.

To the hundreds of students who walked through my classroom door, thank you for teaching me some of life’s simplest lessons. It was a joy, traveling the road of life together, even for a little while. You have enriched my life.

INTRODUCTION

Life is a difficult road trip. We embark upon it without a map or even a destination. It’s no wonder that the first sound we utter when we enter the world is a pitiful cry.

Why am I here? is the question that has been contemplated since man has walked the earth. People of faith believe that we are not here by accident, but that life is part of a divine plan. The people who come in and out of the seasons of our lives are there for a purpose, to teach or to be taught. Some stay with us throughout the road of life, while others just drive by. They come in all makes and models. Their ages are irrelevant; the greatest lessons in life can be learned from those at the extreme ends of life’s spectrum, for everyone has a story. Some of my most valuable lessons I have learned from children. In their innocence they reveal some very simple truths.

The people we meet along life’s highway will influence our lives in many ways, some profoundly, some superficially, some for better, and some for worse. Some may interfere with our life’s plan, causing us to take detours, while others help to show us the way. How we allow these people to influence us affects the choices that we make. Some of our choices put us to the test. They place us at crossroads where crucial decisions must be made that will affect the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, some of these decisions must be made without prior knowledge or experience. Some people play it safe and make no decisions at all, allowing others to direct the traffic of their lives and so their lives continue on the same well-worn path. Then there are those who are the risk takers, trusting in the Spirit to guide them with the wisdom and confidence necessary to make the right decisions that will move their lives forward. Regardless of what path we choose when we take the wheel, our choices will put us to the test, making us realize who we are and who we are not. They help us realize our capabilities for meeting a challenge. Some challenges test the very fiber of our character—our morality, professional ethics, social doctrine, and at times even our faith.

At times, life just comes at us and does not allow us to approach the intersection slowly so we can deliberate and execute our plans in the way we wish them to unfold. But at these times we learn lessons from which wisdom is acquired. So rather than balking at trials or basking in your achievements, take a step back and look for the lesson contained in the experience, asking yourself two questions: What am I being invited to see? and What am I learning about myself? Hopefully, the answers will cultivate a self-awareness that will help you to learn some rules of the road. Because of life’s experiences, we are constantly recreating ourselves, becoming a more customized model. Picture Earth as a sphere of interlocking highways, city streets, and country roads. They form a network of pathways upon which we will all travel while on this journey. For some, the trip will be along straight paved highways, while others will travel on rutted dirt roads, making progress difficult. Most people, however, will experience a combination of both. At times, life will have us in the driver’s seat, or sometimes as a passenger, and at other desperate times, we will find ourselves having to get

Reviews for The Road Trip

[Aryam Hamad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I usually hate to reread books but definitely NOT THIS BOOK, I read it about one year ago and I still can’t get over how beautiful this book is.