Getting Lost

I'm in the middle of watching a movie where this girl is lost in a foreign country and she runs into a handsome stranger who helps her find her way.  At the beginning of their conversation, he says to her, "You kind of like getting lost, don't you?"

This made me stop and think.

For me, getting lost used to be a bad thing.  Getting lost used to mean I was out of control of the situation.  Getting lost used to mean internal panic and anxiety.  Getting lost used to mean my only focus was now getting un-lost and back in familiar territory when I should have been sitting back, enjoying the scenery and taking time to stop and smell the roses along the way.  Once again, it took something drastic to help me come to this conclusion.

A couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday night, my friend and I took off with our cameras to do a 'skyline night shoot' of a bigger city about an hour from here.  Even though it's something I've always wanted to do, there was always a bit of apprehension due to the reputation (like all places) in some parts of this particular city. 

Little did I remember with whom I was traveling... the one who has the most adventurous spirit and is afraid of nothing!  Let me be clear here, it's not that I was afraid, I like to think of it as being more on the cautious side when in unfamiliar territory.  Especially at night.  Where there are bars and people who've been drinking are around.  I'm not afraid.  Just cautious, is all.  It's what was ingrained in me during my formative years and beyond.  My friend, on the other hand, is all about getting that perfect shot.  No matter what.

At the end of the night and after getting some pretty cool shots, I had this amazing feeling of accomplishment on the drive home.

Why did I feel the need to be so cautious?  Maybe a little overly-cautious?  Yes, I was overly-cautious and in the process of looking around, over my shoulder, keeping my back to the wall at times, I gave up the opportunity to shoot some potentially unique images.

Lesson learned.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm a firm believer in being familiar with your surroundings and all, but not to the extent that it keeps you from seeing some pretty incredible scenery.  That's exactly what I've managed to do over the majority of my life.  I've finally realized the true meaning of that saying, 'It's not the destination, it's the journey...'   In other words, relax and enjoy the ride.  You'll get to where you're going.  Eventually.

    




Sometimes it's fun to get off the beaten path.  You never know what you might find.




S.