Build a little fire.

 

Lost in the Wilderness

“Only those who are eager to get lost in the wilderness of life’s beauty can find a meaningful life.”

Dabasish Mridha

          I was looking for something this morning, which is what I spend half my time doing these days, and had the thought, “I’m just wandering in the wilderness.” That seems like a good topic for today.

          Have you ever been lost? Now that’s a loaded question, isn’t it? Because there are lots of ways to be lost. We can be lost in the wilderness for real. Or we can be lost in thought. Or we can be lost in spirit and soul. Most of us have unfortunately lost our wildness, which reminds me of a quote by John Muir: “Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” Sometimes getting lost is essential to finding ones true self.

          In her book, We Took to the Woods, Louise Dickenson Rich wrote: “The thing to do once you know you’re lost, is to find a good, safe place to build a little fire, build it, fire three shots, light a cigarette, and sit down and wait.” The cigarette is a good idea in this case since smoke keeps mosquitos and gnats out of your face. If I were going into the woods, I’d pack some even though I don’t smoke. Sometimes, it's necessary to get lost in order to find a new path.

          From time to time, I find myself driving along a busy highway lost in thought. When I “come to” I wonder who’s been driving the car while I was elsewhere. Do you do that? We seem to have an internal autopilot that takes over so our mind can wander in the elysian fields. My theory is mystical of course; your guardian angel takes the wheel. She knows when you need a contemplative moment.

          There’s always a little shock when you realize you’re lost in the wilderness, regardless of which type of “lost” you are. You ask yourself, “What am I doing?” Or perhaps “Why am I doing this?” Or maybe even, “How the heck did I get here?” It’s a “what’s really going on here” question. And, if you’ll just allow yourself to sit down, have a smoke (or not), and think about that for a while, you may figure out where you are and how to navigate your way home.

          Being (metaphorically) lost in the wilderness is not all bad. It usually means you’ve entered liminal time and space, where anything can happen. Wherever you were headed to begin with may not be right for you, or perhaps it was a misdirection that requires more thought and planning. I’ve been reading Alix E. Harrow’s book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, which is a story about finding oneself in such spaces, which she refers to as “doors.” Here’s what she says: “doors are portals between this world and another, which exist only in places of particular and indefinable resonance.” That feeling of being “lost in the wilderness” may simply be the doorway to another beautiful world you need to explore. Do you feel the resonance?

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane