I’m driving on a country road somewhere between Haymarket, Virginia and Middleburg, not bothering with a map or GPS because the twisty drive is a familiar one for unwinding. I recognize wooded stretches and valley views and know that there’s a railroad crossing at The Plains, which I haven’t reached yet.
I pass a winery and go over a creek at the bottom of a hill. I haven’t seen a car for miles. It’s as if the road, the forests and fields of grazing animals are mine alone. Absorbed in this idea I downshift to take a sharp turn to the right and slow down enough to read a sign that says Halfway. Halfway to what, I wondered. I stopped and walked back thinking how did they know where I was going? Am I halfway to The Plains or to Middleburg? Besides the what part, where am I halfway from? I’m driving a car, and I’m much further along than halfway from home. Back when this place was given a name people traveled on foot or oxcart. Riding a horse would skew all time and distance references. Maybe the settlement was halfway between two brothers’ farms or two friends.
The sign struck me as funny, so here it is for you to chuckle over. Funny as it is, the notion of a halfway sign got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be handy to have a sign pop up telling you when you were halfway toward reaching a goal you’ve been working on for a long time? I’m halfway toward finishing this manuscript, or learning this song; or I’m halfway toward her saying she’ll go out with me. How about I’m halfway toward understanding the new version of Word that’s driving me nuts?
I’m sure that one day there’ll be an app we can download to our favorite mobile device. You’ll type in, or speak in, the goal you’re trying to reach, click submit, and go on about your business. When you reach the halfway point the sign pops up along with the ringtone you’ve assigned to this task. Even though this would be terrific for hiking a new trail or training for a marathon, I don’t think I’m going to get it. There are a few things in life that I want to protect from satellites, hackers, and others who are hell-bent to access everything there is to know about me, including whether I’m halfway toward reaching a goal or not. I’ll stick with the desire to accomplish something as my motivation for trying, and fully enjoy the satisfaction of finishing when I finally do. If I don’t reach the goal it doesn’t really matter if I quit when I was halfway there, barely out of the gate, or close to the finish line. Quitting is quitting.