“Not all who wander are lost”
Several miles later I passed by a church and they had
“No man ever got lost on the straight road.”
What’s a person to do with such profound but conflicting ideas?
I consider myself a wanderer, sometimes to a fault. Decisionless, lacking direction, no clue as to where I am going. I’ve missed the mark on life-occasions where I’ve wandered too far from where I knew I should have been at the time. I now know that I have tackled that part of my character flaw, but as for knowing where I am going in life? Well… I will continue to bumble along trying to figure that one out.
Following the straight line? Well, I have to think that’s most definitely not the answer either. Akin to the out out and back ride, the lonely stretch of straight road. The mind is only “so entertained” by the occasional sprint. The entertainment value and thrill of going straight cannot be fun for long. There may be some comfort in at least knowing which way to go.
While seeming to be mindless dribble, once again this morning’s bicycle trip offered much in the way of being applicable to life in general. I’m faced with the current thoughts of pursuing a large life altering decision or sticking put where I can take comfort in knowing and being familiar with all of the things that I know I don’t enjoy.
It is said that sometimes the devil that you know is better than the one you do not. So, I can see merit in the idea of keeping my head down and following the same road I am on. While wandering, particularly on bike rides, I’ll often turn down a road just because it is there. Sometimes these decisions lead to very pleasant surprises, other times they do not.
So, which is it? Take the straight road or wander?
4 comments:
A Field Guide to Getting Lost
I'm in the same boat. I am thinking: time to wander off the straight and unenjoyable.
You guys just better not move...:-)
You're a young man. You have time to wander off to follow some hare-brained plan, and, if necessary, wander back to 'normal'. Some day you'll be too old to have that luxury.
Opening a bicycle shop was my most recent detour from the life-path I was expected to take. Now I work harder and make less money than I might have, but I haven't any regrets. I can't imagine going back to the path I was on previously. Of course, at some point in the future, I'll probably want to try something new.
Maybe wandering down the straight road is the way to go.
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