I’ve had my share of misadventures and people who have ridden with me for longer drives can definitely confirm this. Sure, I may get lost every once in awhile or any time I try to go somewhere without a GPS, but I get there eventually and still manage to have a little fun on the way.Many who choose to travel with me accept that we won’t arrive in a timely manner or at any expected time, but they know it won’t be boring.

Before I even knew how to drive, I got lost. All the time. When you’re younger, that can be pretty scary. You’re in an unfamiliar place without an adult. For me, I always found it exciting-to an extent anyways. I would find myself noticing more people, what they did, how they spoke, things you wouldn’t notice unless you were left alone with your thoughts. It was an interesting way of seeing the world, but I loved it. I would still be incredibly happy when I found my parents again and besides, my name only got called over the speaker once or seven times. After those experiences I will forever find some odd solace in wandering stores alone. You’re able to see the world (or the store at least) through your eyes and your eyes only. It seems minor, but it can be refreshing after a while.

However, being lost in stores loses most, if not all, of its scariness once you grow older. The bigger you are the smaller the store seems I suppose. Being lost outside is a completely different story. Throughout my time, I’ve had my fair share of experiences that were pretty embarrassing. Some stories had an interesting lesson in them: if you let your emotions guide you, you will end up somewhere completely beautiful or utterly lost. In one situation, I was walking with a friend of mine and didn’t know or care where we went. When I finally decided to attempt to figure out where we were, we were on a beautiful road surrounded by wildflowers. Neither of us knew quite where the road was at the time, but in that moment it didn’t matter. Learning to be lost means relying heavily on your emotions. If you’re angry, you’ll get lost. If you’re happy, you’ll still get lost, but you’ll also find something beautiful on the way.

Sometimes you get lost on a larger scale than even your own city. While driving nowadays, if we get lost the right direction is just a Google search away. Whenever I get lost in a new city or in a different part of a city I know, I try to take in my surroundings. It isn’t so much about learning the area as it is experiencing it. You can drive by the same antique store 400 times and never know that it’s there. A lot can be learned from just experiencing the surrounding area. You can learn the history or culture of the area, the way people in this city live, or maybe just the layout of the town.

Life may be about finding your way, but I think a large part of life should involve getting lost at least once in awhile. We can learn about the world and ourselves when we’re lost. If we only go about things knowing exactly what we want to do and where we want to go, then little experiences can slip through the cracks. Had I not wandered around Peoria Heights for a good portion of the day and only gone to the restaurant I had intended, I would have never visited some of the incredible stores around it. It’s a beautiful world out there, whether you know where you are or not. The best advice I could give is to go out and explore the world with an open mind and an open heart...and maybe an open Google Maps app just in case.