Sometimes the elevator goes down first to pick someone up before it goes up. Detours aren’t always delays.

Progress is not required to go in one direction the whole time. An elevator that drops two floors before it climbs is not malfunctioning, it is collecting someone, and the trip still ends where you asked it to. A lot of what looks like going backwards in your own life is that kind of stop. You are picking up a skill, a person, or a piece of information that the next part needs.

Identify the detour you are annoyed about right now. Ask what it is giving you that the direct route would not have, and write one honest answer.