To take the road less travelled.
Right after my master's education. I made a decision that was quite unconventional. Instead of taking a high paying job in the city. I decided to go and help a friend of mine who was running a cafe in an isolated mountain village.
It was easy to be blissfull 2300 metres above the sea level. Every day we were greeted by surreal gushes of mountain mist. I used to joke that sometimes one could see 100's of kilometres ahead, all the way to the plains and within a couple of minutes the entire scenario would change, making it hard to see even a few feet away. It was hard to get bored in such a dynamic environment. Sometimes the mist would dance with the trees with such magick. That it would just leave me wide eyed staring in pure wonder!
I was visited by many friends who often found it ideal to take a break and head to the mountains for some R&R. This one incident that I'm about to describe, remains a strong memory. Was a good lesson to myself. A friend of mine and his fiance came over to spend a few days with me. We had a ball of a time. This one time I decided to take them for a trek through a pine forest. Into these beautiful waterfalls hidden away from most tourists.
I hadn't visited the falls for a few months. So the path was not very clear in my memory. Every few months a forest can change because of the growth of the vegetation and movement of animals. So there I was, ready to show my friends this amazing place. Somehow believing that I could find my way there. Like I used to when I was alone.
Around 45 minutes into the trek. An eerie feeling started creeping into me. I didn't want to admit it to myself and in no ways wanted to show it on my face to my friends who faithfully just followed me without hesitation. As we cut through the forest I began to realise to my self. I was Lost! I had no idea where I was going!
All sorts of images and scenarios started playing in my mind. Horrifying stories on the newspaper covering the tragic story of how 3 people, 2 of who were just recently engaged, went missing in the forest. My friend must have sensed the change in my composure. So, he calmly, keeping the emerging panic from taking over, asked me, why we hadn't reached the waterfalls yet?
I simply smiled to him, with an honest sigh revealed that we were lost. I had no idea where we were. In order to retain his composure and not freak out his fiance, he tried to deal with the situation rationally. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even concentrate to figure out where we reached or what to do.
So we took a break. I just closed my eyes, took a deep breath and let go. I realised that I had to find a way back. So just following my intuition I bolted in one direction. His fiance just followed my lead and my friend followed behind her in a very sceptical manner. He kept asking me, how did I know that I was heading in the right direction? I had no answer. I just kept walking keeping a steady pace. Something within me knew. I knew...
Suddenly! I got flashbacks of how me and my friend would argue over a few cups of cask wine back in our uni days, about the concept of 'knowingness'. He was a very analytical, logical person. We always had an argument about 'knowing'. He said one can never really know. I was like, there is a space of intuition that goes beyond belief and is pure knowing. But I wasn't very convincing. Its something that has to be experienced, I consoled myself.
So there we were lost in the middle of a forest. Both me and my friend totally in a state of WTF! I kept finding small animal trails and lead on. Confidently. Fortunately for me, my friend's fiance didn't lose her faith for a single second. She followed with complete trust. This encouraged me to keep pursuing on. Ignoring the doubt my mind was creating.
Alas. Before we knew it. I found a tree that was cut down and used as a landmark. I instantly was so relieved! Suddenly that flush behind my ears and the tension subsided. I smiled at my friend and told him that we were just a few metres from the start of the trail. He too was sooo relieved. His tensed face just relaxed and smiled back at me.
Once we reached back, he told me that, it was definitely the most memorable experience, of his entire trip. When we live in urban environments. We plan out everything to the tee. We know exactly where we'll be and where we are going next. These days with the aps on smartphones, there is such a certainty in our navigation. Which is a good thing especially if you have to be punctual and effective.
However, there is something exhilarating about getting lost and finding your way back. Its as if suddenly the usual thought patterns are interrupted and our attention is brought into the present moment. The vulnerability, the mystery. The crazy insinuations of the mind. Becomes more apparent. That is where the knowingness exists. Its something that cannot be spoken about, but experienced. This space is where magic lives. This is the space where animals and birds exist. The instinct or the intuition.
Once I was safe at home I thought back to the question I was asked by my friend. 'How do you know your heading in the right direction?'. I just couldn't get the answer in that moment. But when I thought about it. One thing that dawned on me was the inclination of the slope. While walking to the water fall the higher end was to our left. We were cutting across the mountain so the lower end was sloping rightwards. Although I didn't think about it at that time. Yet, acted on it. While heading back, the higher part of the slope was to our right! Hence whichever path I would have taken. It would have led back to the start!
Our mind is capable of taking into account so many factors. When we act on instinct every detail is taken into consideration. However, it cannot be logically explained or understood at that time. That is how complex and capable our mind is.
So I encourage you to go out, explore, get lost, trust yourself to find your way back (within safe boundaries; of course). Our intuition is more powerful and capable than what we give it credit for.