Wanderings

I was looking through a catalog the other day and came across a T-shirt with a picture of hiking boots, declaring, "Not all who wander are lost." That statement struck me as very profound. Now I am not blessed/cursed to have entered the teenage years with my children yet, but I see so many kids of that age who are trying to find their way in life. I hear so many parents waling, "I've lost them." "They are lost." In light of this statement, I don't necessarily feel that to be so.

It made me think of the quote that everyone knows, "Life is a journey, not a destination." I remember going mushroom hunting in the 100 plus acres of woods that surrounded our house when I was a kid. (They are pretty easy prey. They don't run fast!) I usually headed for the creek. There were many well worn paths made by the deer and animals in the area. They all knew the shortest, easiest, most direct route to the water. The animals knew how to get there and avoid all of the places predators could hide. Because they used it often, it was clear of debris and you wouldn't very likely get a spiderweb stuck to your head as you walked. Because it was well traveled, the path was usually firm and you wouldn't be in danger of losing a shoe in the sticky mud. I didn't always choose to travel those paths.

In my wanderings, I often saw animals who didn't realize I was there. I remember walking up on deer and marveling at how close I had gotten. I was blessed to find flowers that may have not been by the original paths I chose. Bugs, although they creeped me out, were interesting to me, and I saw a myriad of them in places that were far from the hard packed dirt of the deer trail. I also found that the going was rougher if I didn't stay where I should. I often encountered steep hills, or mud bogs. More than once I tumbled down a hill or tripped over a log. Sometimes I got hurt and would return to the path for awhile, knowing it was the smarter choice. It wouldn't be long before something would catch my attention, and again there would be leaves under my feet and sticker bushes in my hair.

The thing is, before I left for those forrays into the woods, my mom always gave me advice about how far to go, what time to be back and I carried knowledge of how to remember my surroundings so I could return. It was the information I got BEFORE I left that always helped me reach my destination and return safely. Sometimes as my mom was telling me, I'd pretend I didn't hear, or scoff at her advice, but it was there, swimming around in my pointed little head, just waiting to be called upon.

There were also tools I could carry with me to make my journey easier. A compass would have helped guide my way (if I had been smart enough to carry one). If we had had a map of our land, that would have facilitated an easier time. I admit, there were times that I thought I was lost. There were times of panic when I didn't recognize my surroundings, and I was sure something was going to eat me, but I'd just think back to my mother's words (which I pretended not to hear!), get my bearings, continue walking and eventually find my way again.

I enjoyed my walks in the woods. I miss that time of exploration. As an adult, my infrequent trips into the wilderness now consist more of staying where I should and following the 'right' path. I find comfort in that, but its not as fun. Of course, I'm older now and can't afford to roll down a muddy embankment. I might snap something!

Sometimes, in my wanderings, I would still end up at the creek, but further from my original destination than I had intended. The creek still refreshed me when I got there. I could still swim and drink and play there, but it wasn't where I originally wanted to be. I found that I could either stay where I had ended up, or follow the creek back to where I wanted to be in the first place. I forged new paths. They may not have been as easy, but they were rewarding in a different way. The lessons I learned, and the fun I had helped me lead others to the creek at different times, in different ways. Because of my mother's instruction, and God's guiding hand, I often wandered, but I was never truly lost.