Often, great adventure is just beyond what one is prepared to explore. One can go for years and miss a seemingly obvious entry-point into new territory. Of course, while this can be applied metaphorically to many areas of life, I discovered this quite literally when I decided to take a chance a few weeks ago and venture into a path I had never thought to look down before.
I have no regrets.
Predictable Start
Quite predictably, my trip began with me wandering around the area on my bike. It was morning, and I needed some fresh air. I had passed this path dozens of times before, but this time I took the path. The path took me south past a small pile of short logs, but most of the path was rather nondescript as forests go. It was a fresh, brisk day, and the huge trees swayed in the breeze above me.
At last I came to a fork in the path. I opted to continue south and could see a few fiery orange tree tops in the distance. I explored further south and soon came to a junction of four paths. East seemed like a good choice, so I went left. Some paths I did not go down and took photos of their mysterious paths instead. Continuing on, I began to pass more beautifully-colored maples and oaks.
After some time, I almost felt lost, but I knew I could find my way back. I began retracing my steps through the complex network of paths and found a new way back to the road. I’ve learned that whenever one is following a path from the opposite direction, one sees a completely different perspective. This is why so many people get lost.
Vindication
One can imagine my relief when I saw the small pile of logs again. Then I realized how many thoughts were sloshing around my mind, and I sat on the logs.
I remained there for some time. I did not sleep or dream. I only relaxed and imagined solutions to my thoughts.
When I emerged from this meditation in the forest, I found everything seemed calmer, and the forest seemed clearer. I walked the remaining distance to the road and passed the most shriveled plant stalk I have ever seen. It was so pathetic that it deserved having a photo taken of it as well.
The Lesson
- Meditation can give one a new perspective
- Many things are overlooked and taken for granted
- Try to see what is overlooked (one may be surprised)
Photos from this trip are in Byteful Photos. All photos can be used as desktop wallpapers because they are high resolution (1920×1440).