Written by Guest Contributor Jennifer Butler, Distributed Internationally
“For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.” – Edmund Spenser
I have this ritual. When I move to new cities I like to go exploring and get lost. Lost in the sense of not just going in straight lines, such as turning right or left from my apartment and heading directly to the restaurants or supermarket nearest me. I like to get lost in the sense of immersing myself in the community and wandering through the nearby neighborhoods and finding a new-to-me park or secret, hidden away coffee shop. Of course the longer I wander, the longer it takes for me to get my bearings and figure out my way home. However, if I ever get too confused or unsure, I’ve always found that often people are willing to help point me in the right direction. Be careful though, many people are willing to help a stranger out, so when I ask for help, even if they don’t know where I am trying to go, they will still try to “help” me out and unbeknownst to me, point me in perhaps the opposite direction.
Life is like that too. I believe that you have got to personally wander, explore, and own your journey. Your journey is only yours and so what you make of it is what it is. However, if you ask, you often can get pointed in the right direction or given an idea of where you can find what it is you are looking for. But as I noted before, be careful, in life you will also come across people who will misguide you, point you in the wrong direction, or distract you from what it is you are searching for.
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours” – Hendry David Thoreau
Find her blog and the original post at Distributed Internationally
Backpacks & Blackboards 
Reblogged this on some kind of wanderful.