Get Lost
I have a terrible sense of direction. I get lost all the time. It’s embarrassing sometimes, like when I go to the doctor and forget how to find the front desk in the tiny maze of hallways. It took me months to figure out where everything was in the dark, cave-like building I work in. I’ve lived in the same town for over 16 years, and I still get turned around sometimes when I’m out driving.
Sometimes, though, being lost is magical.
When I was a kid, I used to play a game called “Get Lost.” I’d get on my bike and start riding until I wasn’t sure where I was anymore. As you can imagine, this usually didn’t take me long. The object of the game was to find my way back home. I never lost the game, meaning I always ended up at home again, but I did have my first panic attack as a result of getting lost for over an hour once.
Today, it’s a lot harder to play a game like “Get Lost.” Some of the fun is taken out of it by technology. You can always use your phone as a crutch, which is a shame, because figuring out how to find your way back to where you belong is important. Taking the shortcut, by asking Siri to navigate you home, takes away a sense of accomplishment in knowing that YOU found YOUR way back.
What’s the value in being lost? It makes you more aware of where you are, IF you stop panicking, take a deep breath, and relax. You’ll notice details you might ignore in a familiar setting. You’ll pay attention to the little things that could help you communicate to others where you are or where you’ve been. You’ll appreciate the wonky-shaped tree that looks like the letter “V,” or the weird, lumpy, moss-covered sandstone holes above you. You may not know where home is in relation to these, but you will know it if you see it again later. You will remember that you’ve been here before.
My husband never gets lost. Any time we go out somewhere, he knows exactly where we are and how far we’ve gone. When we go hiking, he is constantly drawing a map of where we are inside his head, and I know I can always count on him to get us back safely. I call him Mr. Map. In my mind, though, as I’m hiking, I’m playing “Get Lost” again. I’m just following the path, knowing that eventually, I will end up at home again, and enjoying the journey while I’m there. It’s reassuring to know that I’ll never get lost with Mr. Map around, but it is fun to pretend that I’m in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea where I am.
That’s why I love being out in nature. I love that there are no roads on a trail, there are no streetlights or signs, there are no convenience stores where I can stop and ask for directions. When I’m lucky, there won’t be cell phone service either. Just me, Mr. Map, and Creation, the way it was meant to be. Eventually, I know I will get back to the frenetic pace of regular life, but I’ll take my time on the way back, and I won’t forget to enjoy the sights. I want to be able to tell everyone where I was, and I how I got home.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
