For the last few months, the highway between my home and office has been under construction. Each day, I pass men in hard hats driving backhoes and steamrollers from one section to another as they dig up and repave the road. Signs posted along the way warn of "uneven surfaces." In some areas, shiny black asphalt has been poured over rutted and broken patches, leaving them cushioned and smooth under my tires. From bumpy to smooth to bumpy again, I am uncomfortably aware of the jostling to my chassis...and that of my car.

This morning I realized that the sign and the work being done are perfect metaphors for life. Perhaps, having just spent a sleepless night awash with worry, I was more attuned to the damage we inflict daily on our psyches. Certainly, we have all experienced "uneven surfaces" -- those times when tears outnumber smiles and the weight of trouble causes visible sag to our shoulders. Our strength of character is the hard hat we wear, and our backbone, rather than a backhoe, helps maneuver us through the rough stretches.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could fill in the cracked and potholed portions of our lives with emotional asphalt? Hard times would be so much easier to bear. Past mistakes could be buried under a new layer of resolve, and the path ahead would be easier to travel. Oh, that it should be so easy!