Names of Roads

All roads have names.

Seems pretty straight forward, but my head just keeps repeating it.  That means there is a lesson there eluding my consciousness. So I keep repeating until the rest comes.

All roads have names.

We got lost yesterday, my husband & I.  We exited the freeway because it was jammed up, no progress, and we just headed west until we hit a road we knew.  We ended up trekking along the north side of the Potomac River: from Maryland, to West Virginia and finally back to Virginia.  It started at an area of BIG BIG houses, clearly from BIG BIG money.  Like Italian Villa big, or Country Estate big... statuary in the driveways, fountains with beautiful landscaping, 3 story homes with cottages out back, giant gates with uninviting/ privacy fences.  That changed into farm country - the real country estates.  It was clearly "horse country" - still big money.  The barns were huge and numerous, horse trails criss-crossed the road, long white or black fences, with dressage rings and jumping gates seen often.  We passed a big sign for a horse rescue farm.  Then we got into real farm country. The houses got smaller, more modest, the machinery was more evident, the signs hand painted for eggs, or veggies, or hay...

And all along there were so many interesting road names.

All roads have names...

Some of the names indicated direction.  We were on a "pike" for a while that sported the names of the towns it passed through.  We knew we were on the "main drag" because the signs showing the upcoming towns matched the name of the road we were on.  I was struck at how some roads are named for the places they connect.

All roads have names...

Some names were meant to inspire.  Especially in that area with big money, there were roads named for famous places, or for artists. They gave you an idea of what you would find there, like the lakeside estates, or still grottoes.  It was all about what was "out there" that was fabulous, whether man or nature made.  I was struck at how the some roads are named for where we want them to go.

All roads have names...

Many names indicated possession/ ownership.  Especially as we got into the old farm country, the road names started reflecting family surnames, or someone's mill or farm.  One road was named for a colored barn.  Another was named for the store at the end.  I was struck at how some roads and named for who got there first, or stayed the longest.

All roads have names...

A few roads were very clear explanations.  The names labeled how they were built or when they were built, or what purpose they served.  Petit Way and New Design Road seemed pretty clear to me.  I was struck at how some roads are named for their novelty.

All roads have names...

What is the name of MY road?


CONTINUED PONDERING: So if the road is the journey, how do we know what the journey is for? Isn't the purpose of naming the road to let you know about the journey?  So roads are named for their destinations, the stuff they pass, or the nature of the road itself.... but not all 3 of those.  

So maybe, if I am only looking at the end (whether it's where it really goes or where I want it to go) I can't really see the stuff along the road, or the road itself... and then If I am busy looking at the stuff along the road, I'm not really paying attention to where I am going, or what the road conditions are... and maybe if I am focused on the very nature of the road I will miss the stuff along it and never know if I  arrive.  
MAYBE I need to decide what I am willing to miss, not just what I am willing to look for...
MAYBE the road changes names.   Perhaps as I travel along it what I need from and for the road changes. 
MAYBE there are times in my life when I need to concentrate on where I am going, and other times when I need to look around as I travel, and other times when I need to observe the wonder of the road itself.
And MAYBE the road doesn't actually change, I do.  Or maybe, we change together...