Detours

To this point, what has been the most notable detour you've taken, professionally or personally? How did those closest to you react to the detour?

About a year ago, a friend described her son enrolling in a creative writing program immediately following  graduation from a military academy. Although my friend didn't call her son's shift in path a detour, I've since found myself paying more attention to stories sharing what strike me as unexpected turns. As I began asking questions about choices or circumstances that I characterized as detours, more and more surprising stories emerged. Although it's possible I've uncovered lots of these because I've been looking for them, my own life has reinforced the belief that detours are fairly commonplace. Your view? 

When a different friend recently told me of plans to give up a successful career in engineering for the hospitality industry, my reaction was muted. And though that reaction surprised my friend, my use of the word detour to describe the plans struck a positive chord. Think I'll continue using it. I'm also going to keep my reactions to detours neutral given a clear recollection of how my detours landed with others.