Oh, Rebecca, you have given me the best gift ever!!! Your piece today, with all of your immense writing talent and fabulous resources, have addressed the very fear I have suffered with all my life..."What if I get lost?" I could go on and on, but today, I'm going to savor the gift of "Walking in a Straight Line." It is my 63rd birthday today and I asked the Universe to please send me an opening and I have it. It is your experience, and your talent of relaying that experience here on your Substack. Thank you so deeply and dearly.
Oh Mary, your words are deeply moving and so very much appreciated! Thank you so, so much. The fear of getting lost is so real for some of us, isn’t it?
Happy, happy birthday for yesterday - I hope you had the wonderful day you deserved. Hugs! 🥰
Have I ever told the story of my brother attempting a long walk many years ago? We dropped him off early in the morning on a coastline well north of our holiday house. He was so excited to trek through the bush to our place. About mid-afternoon, Mum started to get very worried about him. Can we go look for him? No Mum, not yet. Eventually I said Yes, let’s go. We hopped in my car and drove off. We drove back up the coast and then down the one road that Kevin would cross on his way home. Mum swears I stopped the car and THEN Kevin walked out of the bush. All I remember is the look of absolute relief on his face. He had dreadfully underestimated the time the trek would take and couldn’t believe that we were there waiting for him in exactly the right place before he plunged into the bush on the other side of the road to start the second half of his trek.
Oh gosh, Beth, I’m so glad that you and your mum were there at exactly the right time for Kevin - that’s perfect. Kudos to your mum for knowing - for feeeeeling - that he needed you. Awesome work, both of you. 😘
I’m so glad you’ve shared this story! Warms my heart (on an already-warm day - British summer has arrived!). xxx
Beth, this is some story! I love that you helped moderate your mother's instincts but that you both eventually followed your instincts to rescue (?) your brother. I have what might be a silly question: Did he indeed plunge back in, or did he get in the car!? :)
My mom taught me from an early age to read maps. I was her navigator on our many trips up and down the east coast from Maine to Florida and back each school year. We always turned the map in the direction we were going. IF we were heading south we’d turn the map upside down so we were going in the same direction as the roads on the map. North was easier, as we’d just hold it right side up.
I always hated it when people would try and give me verbal directions. MY eyes would glaze over until I’d hand them a pencil and a piece of paper and tell them to “Please just write down the address.” I knew as long as I had an address I could find anything on my maps.
I don’t ever recall getting lost because I knew that eventually, all roads led to home. 😉❤️
Today we rely too much on digital technology to the point it is hard to even buy a map of our state or country anymore. All gas stations used to sell them. I still have a lot of my road atlases, much outdated by now I’m sure.
As always thoroughly enjoy your meandering adventures and the tales that arrive with you at the end. 🤗
Gail, it’s wonderful that you’ve had such great wayfinding skills from a young age - it sounds as if you and your mum had some great teamwork going on with your road trips together!
I don’t know what it is - or why - that has made me find this sort of thing so very difficult. I just don’t get it - I’ve even done a couple of navigation courses, and although everything I learned made sense I just couldn’t adopt any of them in practice - I just don’t ‘gel’ with this stuff!
I don’t only get lost out in the wilds, either - finding my way to and from the ladies’ washroom in restaurants or at campsites or anywhere else, really - a few months ago I found myself BEHIND THE BAR with the serving staff trying to find my way back to our restaurant table. I was soooo embarrassed!
I used to love the big road atlas my parents had in their cars - I’d read it like a book - but I was never looking at the routes or the roads, but the words! I loved the names of towns, cities and landmarks - particularly those in far-off areas - I’d read the unfamiliar names out loud and loved the way they sounded.
Rebecca (and Gail), I'm sure I've recounted before my familiarity with navigational deficits, and my general lack of confidence in all things directional. Even if I allow myself to *think* I'm on the right route, I often learn the hard way that I'm not! I still feel anxiety rising when trying, and failing, to find my way, but over the years, I've learned to panic less. That helps. I don't believe it has to do with lack of training, but I do think attitude (which is everything you've discussed in this wonderful essay) is a player in whether we see ourselves as taking part in an adventure or a form or mild torture.
The right attitude and confidence are such important factors in this scenario, Elizabeth! I struggle to harness either of them, frankly, and can totally relate to the rising anxiety to which you refer. We’re true birds of a feather! xxx
Love the phrase “wander with purpose”—thank you! I need to do some wandering in my new town. I’ve gotten lost by car several times, but you’ve encouraged me to try it on foot….
Oh Julie, that’s wonderful, but your last sentence has given me such anxiety - LOL - despite everything I’ve said in my post it feels so unnatural - and perilous! - to me to get lost on purpose! 🤣 It’s such a good idea, though - I shall bite the bullet and follow your lead! Thank you so much! 😊
My father would sit in a breezeway most evenings with a newspaper, smokes, a drink and an atlas. If any of us caught sight of the book of roadmaps opened, we'd exclaim, "Clyde is planning a trip!" I took map reading seriously and fell in love early in life. This morning, trying to recall when I'd sit with him, as he'd lovingly take me under his wing and share the way. My heart opens so wide whenever I get to wander on foot or plan a roadtrip, visually yearning for newness, often remembering direction and landmarks. Some say it may all be in our Hippocampus. There is an excitement to a lost trail, the story of settlers came to mind. At one point reading this, I too thought of Hanzel and Gretel, the anquish of birds devouring their breadcrumb markers. Maps are fascinating, to navigate or not. Hopefully, whether we seek a full circle or a continuous line with never a dead end, this was all wonderful. Have you visited AtlasObscura.com? Great fun!
Oh CJ, this is wonderful - thank you so much for sharing these words! It sounds as if you've got not only a background in way finding but also an innate ability - I really must get over the mental block I have about it and settle down to do some proper work on it!
Thank you so much for the Atlas Obscura link - I've had a very quick look but am looking forward to spending some time exploring it further.
I had a fun time too thinking about Hansel and Gretel and exploring their - and others' - ineffective aids to navigation for this post - https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/122-old-gold-lost-in-a-fairytale I'd love to take a more in-depth look at other fairy tales for a future post - getting lost is a theme common to many childhood stories. Hey, that might be what had first prompted my fear of being lost in the first place?! 🤣
A lovely meditation on exploring, finding our way and getting lost.
I have a strong memory of the time, as a child of about ten, when I realized that my school bus drove right past my street on the way to the later stop. One day, without mentioning it to my folks, I just didn’t get on the bus. Instead I followed its route, turning off when I reached my street and walking off into unknown territory. The street did, as I’d surmised, lead me home. My sense of triumph and independence still resonates fifty years later. Once I became a parent though, I did cringe at the fact that if something had gone wrong no adult would have had a clue where to look for me.
Way back when I first found you, Rebecca, I was reading all your "walking posts" and felt like I was walking along with you. Thanks for returning to the topic today. It was such a pleasure. Thank you, too, for sharing the Gareth Fuller website. His maps are indeed stunning. I would LOVE to have one of Scotland - a place I know well. It would provide hours and hours of "reading" entertainment ( just like my huge satellite map of the highlands). I love the statement, "The map...goes to show just how essential maps are in drawing a bond between who we are and the places we inhabit." So very true.
Thank you, Sharron! You’re right - I wrote so often about walking when I first started writing. It’s a shame that at the moment I’m not walking nearly often enough, but I’m looking forward to getting some miles behind me again! Solo walking is a great means of stirring up words in my head and looking at the order in which they come out - so of great benefit to my writing health as well as my physical and mental health!
Love this post!!! I've had some of the best food in places where I stopped for a bite while I was lost!! I don't know if the yumminess was due to the fact that I had no clue where I was or how to get back there! Getting lost is such fun!! Somewhat similarly I enjoy getting lost in large public libraries or museums...
Sue, you're a GENIUS! I hereby pledge my intention to get lost in museums, beautiful gardens, castles, secondhand bookshops and food halls! MUCH more fun than getting lost in the kinds of places I'm used to getting lost in - I'm going to have soooooooooo much fun with this!!!!!!!!
Yippee!! Hooray that you'll get lost in museums etc too!! I love getting lost in secondhand bookstores and in gardens!! In a town near me there's a 5 story second hand bookshop and it's soooooo easy to get lost there!!! 💚💚 I look forward to your adventures!!!!! Hugs!!!!!
Rebecca, in its way, this post could be a deep exploration of moving forward, and not being afraid to move forward. We're all destined to get lost many times in our lives but I think you have nailed down the reality of it.
On a practical level, if we can get past the fear of being lost, walking is so worth it. I think if it were me, I'd just carry a small EPERB or GPS, enjoy walking and if you get lost, activate your little techno-aid, and help will arrive. I think if I was tackling a walk I had never done before and that was perhaps exposed, not marked well and a physical challenge, I'd probably take a personal EPERB. But where I live, most walks are defined tracks and unless one is careless, one knows to stay on the track for safety. Mind you, most serious bushwalkers here always carry an EPERB as the serious walks are not for the faint-hearted. The Overland Track is 64 kms of hardcore walking. You have to carry a week's worth of food, shelter and an EPERB.
Gareth Fuller's maps are astonishing - I love artist's maps. I had a Tasmanian map artist draw one of our farm for my husband's 70th birthday and had it framed. It's beautiful because the paddocks all have idiosyncratic names and landmarks are included.
On a lateral note, I came across this book on Substack's Everything is Amazing, and it's on my TBR list. You may have read it. It's all about cognition essentially and as you know, it's the main sense we need to train for walking. Alexandra Horowitz's On Looking: Eleven Walks through Expert Eyes.
Wow, Prue, that's such a good idea. Jim can track my phone with his phone, and I also have an AirTag - but if I decide to go anywhere really wild (not in my plans right now, though) I think I'd look into one of those! Thank you for the suggestion.
The map of your farm sounds absolutely wonderful - such a gorgeous gift for your husband.
I hadn't come across the book to which you'd linked - it looks brilliant! I've found it on Amazon's UK site too - I'm going to put it on my Christmas list!
Every journey begins with a single step - such wise words. So grateful to have you as a reader, dear Prue. 😘
Gareth’s maps *are* breathtaking. Thanks for sharing the link. I can relate to *wanting* to get lost: I've purposefully become lost when moving to a new town. I venture on foot or bike in a direction from home for 10 minutes or so, and then head back the same way, retracing my steps. I repeat that as many times as needed until that 10-minute route's round trip is muscle memory. Then I add another 10 minute adventure from where the first left off, and repeat. P.S. The photos in this post were so beautiful. I love your hand drawn sense of direction, and also think it's so neat that you remember words and street names and can use them as your guiding stars. So charming.
Mary, your ten-minute approach is so, so clever - to repeat those same ten minutes until they’ve become a ‘feel’ thing - to develop your muscle memory in that way is such a great idea.
When I was an au pair in Germany I’d walk the kids to school and then walk home on my own. My route back was always the same - but didn’t bear all that much relation to the walk THERE. I couldn’t understand it. It took me weeks and weeks to work out that I’d been walking three sides of a block instead of the one side I should have taken.
Oh Rebecca, I feel for not being able to figure directional things out! I sometimes get that now! I stayed with my daughter in her new apartment last week and it took me a couple of days to figure out which way was what, and it was/is a small apartment. I thought, "now HOW could I not know where I am? This apartment isn't big enough to get lost!" ☺️
I’m not sure I agree with the getting lost advice. Unless it’s in a city. Too many bears and coyotes where we live. Probably lovely and serene where you are.
Gosh, no, I wouldn’t want to get lost where you are, Carissa! Good point! The most dangerous thing I’d come across would be road traffic. We have one native venomous snake species over here, but they’re not all that common and tend to stay away from people - and you’d have to actually step on one in order to have it bite you.
I love walking aimlessly in no particular direction in a city as there are always some landmarks to orient yourself to. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never even given myself the chance to get lost in the countryside though as I completely rely on my map-obsessed other half to navigate. Going out for a walk on the Downs by myself is something I really need/want to do though. I think an out & back walk is *probably* safest but much to think about after reading your brilliant piece…
You’re right about there being lots of landmarks in cities, but I struggle if I can’t see the horizon, and from there being too much sensory input - lots of bright colours, hustle and bustle, busy-ness and hubbub.
I hear you about relying on your other half to navigate. Jim’s got an excellent sense of direction, thank goodness!
I remember when my brother came to visit me in the city where I went to university - we walked from campus into the city, and chatted the whole way. After about an hour walking around the city centre, I asked him ‘where are we going?’
‘I don’t know’, he said. ‘I’ve been following you. And it’s been really funny!’
He’s got a really good sense of direction, which I would always take for granted - and I hadn’t noticed that he was letting himself be led by me, while all the time I thought I was letting myself be led by HIM! 🤣
While I appreciate the idea that getting lost can have positive outcomes, I can't help also thinking about how often it feels like the opposite can be true. Cognitively, novel experiences are supposed to be good for us, and a little bit of adrenaline is also said to be of value. But what I feel when I'm caught in a navigational misadventure is not something I intend to seek out on purpose. I'll forge my new neural pathways some other way, thank you very much!
Always appreciate knowing I'm not alone in this, Rebecca, and love that you write about it with honesty and humor.
You are so right! It feels unnatural to set out to get lost on purpose, when I know how uncomfortable and frightened I get when I am lost (or feel I might get lost). I wonder whether it might help if I do, though - or whether it’ll just make me self-destruct! I’ll keep you posted….. xxx
Oh, Rebecca, you have given me the best gift ever!!! Your piece today, with all of your immense writing talent and fabulous resources, have addressed the very fear I have suffered with all my life..."What if I get lost?" I could go on and on, but today, I'm going to savor the gift of "Walking in a Straight Line." It is my 63rd birthday today and I asked the Universe to please send me an opening and I have it. It is your experience, and your talent of relaying that experience here on your Substack. Thank you so deeply and dearly.
Happy birthday!! 🥳
Oh Mary, your words are deeply moving and so very much appreciated! Thank you so, so much. The fear of getting lost is so real for some of us, isn’t it?
Happy, happy birthday for yesterday - I hope you had the wonderful day you deserved. Hugs! 🥰
Have I ever told the story of my brother attempting a long walk many years ago? We dropped him off early in the morning on a coastline well north of our holiday house. He was so excited to trek through the bush to our place. About mid-afternoon, Mum started to get very worried about him. Can we go look for him? No Mum, not yet. Eventually I said Yes, let’s go. We hopped in my car and drove off. We drove back up the coast and then down the one road that Kevin would cross on his way home. Mum swears I stopped the car and THEN Kevin walked out of the bush. All I remember is the look of absolute relief on his face. He had dreadfully underestimated the time the trek would take and couldn’t believe that we were there waiting for him in exactly the right place before he plunged into the bush on the other side of the road to start the second half of his trek.
Oh gosh, Beth, I’m so glad that you and your mum were there at exactly the right time for Kevin - that’s perfect. Kudos to your mum for knowing - for feeeeeling - that he needed you. Awesome work, both of you. 😘
I’m so glad you’ve shared this story! Warms my heart (on an already-warm day - British summer has arrived!). xxx
Beth, this is some story! I love that you helped moderate your mother's instincts but that you both eventually followed your instincts to rescue (?) your brother. I have what might be a silly question: Did he indeed plunge back in, or did he get in the car!? :)
That sheer relief on his face was followed by an eager jump into the car. It was getting cold and dark by the time we found him! 🤗🤗
Smart fella'!
Sensible chap! 🙌
My mom taught me from an early age to read maps. I was her navigator on our many trips up and down the east coast from Maine to Florida and back each school year. We always turned the map in the direction we were going. IF we were heading south we’d turn the map upside down so we were going in the same direction as the roads on the map. North was easier, as we’d just hold it right side up.
I always hated it when people would try and give me verbal directions. MY eyes would glaze over until I’d hand them a pencil and a piece of paper and tell them to “Please just write down the address.” I knew as long as I had an address I could find anything on my maps.
I don’t ever recall getting lost because I knew that eventually, all roads led to home. 😉❤️
Today we rely too much on digital technology to the point it is hard to even buy a map of our state or country anymore. All gas stations used to sell them. I still have a lot of my road atlases, much outdated by now I’m sure.
As always thoroughly enjoy your meandering adventures and the tales that arrive with you at the end. 🤗
Gail, it’s wonderful that you’ve had such great wayfinding skills from a young age - it sounds as if you and your mum had some great teamwork going on with your road trips together!
I don’t know what it is - or why - that has made me find this sort of thing so very difficult. I just don’t get it - I’ve even done a couple of navigation courses, and although everything I learned made sense I just couldn’t adopt any of them in practice - I just don’t ‘gel’ with this stuff!
I don’t only get lost out in the wilds, either - finding my way to and from the ladies’ washroom in restaurants or at campsites or anywhere else, really - a few months ago I found myself BEHIND THE BAR with the serving staff trying to find my way back to our restaurant table. I was soooo embarrassed!
I used to love the big road atlas my parents had in their cars - I’d read it like a book - but I was never looking at the routes or the roads, but the words! I loved the names of towns, cities and landmarks - particularly those in far-off areas - I’d read the unfamiliar names out loud and loved the way they sounded.
Rebecca (and Gail), I'm sure I've recounted before my familiarity with navigational deficits, and my general lack of confidence in all things directional. Even if I allow myself to *think* I'm on the right route, I often learn the hard way that I'm not! I still feel anxiety rising when trying, and failing, to find my way, but over the years, I've learned to panic less. That helps. I don't believe it has to do with lack of training, but I do think attitude (which is everything you've discussed in this wonderful essay) is a player in whether we see ourselves as taking part in an adventure or a form or mild torture.
The right attitude and confidence are such important factors in this scenario, Elizabeth! I struggle to harness either of them, frankly, and can totally relate to the rising anxiety to which you refer. We’re true birds of a feather! xxx
Love the phrase “wander with purpose”—thank you! I need to do some wandering in my new town. I’ve gotten lost by car several times, but you’ve encouraged me to try it on foot….
Oh Julie, that’s wonderful, but your last sentence has given me such anxiety - LOL - despite everything I’ve said in my post it feels so unnatural - and perilous! - to me to get lost on purpose! 🤣 It’s such a good idea, though - I shall bite the bullet and follow your lead! Thank you so much! 😊
My father would sit in a breezeway most evenings with a newspaper, smokes, a drink and an atlas. If any of us caught sight of the book of roadmaps opened, we'd exclaim, "Clyde is planning a trip!" I took map reading seriously and fell in love early in life. This morning, trying to recall when I'd sit with him, as he'd lovingly take me under his wing and share the way. My heart opens so wide whenever I get to wander on foot or plan a roadtrip, visually yearning for newness, often remembering direction and landmarks. Some say it may all be in our Hippocampus. There is an excitement to a lost trail, the story of settlers came to mind. At one point reading this, I too thought of Hanzel and Gretel, the anquish of birds devouring their breadcrumb markers. Maps are fascinating, to navigate or not. Hopefully, whether we seek a full circle or a continuous line with never a dead end, this was all wonderful. Have you visited AtlasObscura.com? Great fun!
Oh CJ, this is wonderful - thank you so much for sharing these words! It sounds as if you've got not only a background in way finding but also an innate ability - I really must get over the mental block I have about it and settle down to do some proper work on it!
Thank you so much for the Atlas Obscura link - I've had a very quick look but am looking forward to spending some time exploring it further.
I had a fun time too thinking about Hansel and Gretel and exploring their - and others' - ineffective aids to navigation for this post - https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/122-old-gold-lost-in-a-fairytale I'd love to take a more in-depth look at other fairy tales for a future post - getting lost is a theme common to many childhood stories. Hey, that might be what had first prompted my fear of being lost in the first place?! 🤣
Thanks so much for reading, CJ!
Keep wandering Rebecca! :) What wonderful writing that resulted. Have a fantastic weekend and hope to see you Monday.
Thanks so much, Julie - you’re very kind! Hope to see you tomorrow! 😘
Yes! I hope to see you as well. :) Have a great night.
I’m exactly the same as you, Rebecca !
ALL the best people get lost, Maureen! Glad we’re on the same team! 😁
A lovely meditation on exploring, finding our way and getting lost.
I have a strong memory of the time, as a child of about ten, when I realized that my school bus drove right past my street on the way to the later stop. One day, without mentioning it to my folks, I just didn’t get on the bus. Instead I followed its route, turning off when I reached my street and walking off into unknown territory. The street did, as I’d surmised, lead me home. My sense of triumph and independence still resonates fifty years later. Once I became a parent though, I did cringe at the fact that if something had gone wrong no adult would have had a clue where to look for me.
Oh, that’s awesome - thank you so much for sharing this story! I’m deeply impressed (and a little scared for little Kerry)!
Thank you so much for reading. 😊
Way back when I first found you, Rebecca, I was reading all your "walking posts" and felt like I was walking along with you. Thanks for returning to the topic today. It was such a pleasure. Thank you, too, for sharing the Gareth Fuller website. His maps are indeed stunning. I would LOVE to have one of Scotland - a place I know well. It would provide hours and hours of "reading" entertainment ( just like my huge satellite map of the highlands). I love the statement, "The map...goes to show just how essential maps are in drawing a bond between who we are and the places we inhabit." So very true.
Thank you, Sharron! You’re right - I wrote so often about walking when I first started writing. It’s a shame that at the moment I’m not walking nearly often enough, but I’m looking forward to getting some miles behind me again! Solo walking is a great means of stirring up words in my head and looking at the order in which they come out - so of great benefit to my writing health as well as my physical and mental health!
Watch this space! xxx
Love this post!!! I've had some of the best food in places where I stopped for a bite while I was lost!! I don't know if the yumminess was due to the fact that I had no clue where I was or how to get back there! Getting lost is such fun!! Somewhat similarly I enjoy getting lost in large public libraries or museums...
Sue, you're a GENIUS! I hereby pledge my intention to get lost in museums, beautiful gardens, castles, secondhand bookshops and food halls! MUCH more fun than getting lost in the kinds of places I'm used to getting lost in - I'm going to have soooooooooo much fun with this!!!!!!!!
❤️💚
Yippee!! Hooray that you'll get lost in museums etc too!! I love getting lost in secondhand bookstores and in gardens!! In a town near me there's a 5 story second hand bookshop and it's soooooo easy to get lost there!!! 💚💚 I look forward to your adventures!!!!! Hugs!!!!!
I like Grayson Perry maps.
Terry, I had no idea - but gosh, I have now - thank you so much! I’ve had a little look online and I can’t wait to explore his maps. Thank you.
take a look at his self-portrait in the form of a map: https://www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/grayson-perry-a-map-of-days-by-grayson-perry
Absolutely amazing - thank you so much!
Rebecca, in its way, this post could be a deep exploration of moving forward, and not being afraid to move forward. We're all destined to get lost many times in our lives but I think you have nailed down the reality of it.
On a practical level, if we can get past the fear of being lost, walking is so worth it. I think if it were me, I'd just carry a small EPERB or GPS, enjoy walking and if you get lost, activate your little techno-aid, and help will arrive. I think if I was tackling a walk I had never done before and that was perhaps exposed, not marked well and a physical challenge, I'd probably take a personal EPERB. But where I live, most walks are defined tracks and unless one is careless, one knows to stay on the track for safety. Mind you, most serious bushwalkers here always carry an EPERB as the serious walks are not for the faint-hearted. The Overland Track is 64 kms of hardcore walking. You have to carry a week's worth of food, shelter and an EPERB.
Gareth Fuller's maps are astonishing - I love artist's maps. I had a Tasmanian map artist draw one of our farm for my husband's 70th birthday and had it framed. It's beautiful because the paddocks all have idiosyncratic names and landmarks are included.
On a lateral note, I came across this book on Substack's Everything is Amazing, and it's on my TBR list. You may have read it. It's all about cognition essentially and as you know, it's the main sense we need to train for walking. Alexandra Horowitz's On Looking: Eleven Walks through Expert Eyes.
And finally, I found a book yesterday and thought 'This is just for Rebecca.' Harold Gatty's https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Way-Without-Compass/dp/048640613X but I bet you've read it.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other. As you know, every journey begins with a single step... XXXX
Wow, Prue, that's such a good idea. Jim can track my phone with his phone, and I also have an AirTag - but if I decide to go anywhere really wild (not in my plans right now, though) I think I'd look into one of those! Thank you for the suggestion.
The map of your farm sounds absolutely wonderful - such a gorgeous gift for your husband.
I hadn't come across the book to which you'd linked - it looks brilliant! I've found it on Amazon's UK site too - I'm going to put it on my Christmas list!
Every journey begins with a single step - such wise words. So grateful to have you as a reader, dear Prue. 😘
Gareth’s maps *are* breathtaking. Thanks for sharing the link. I can relate to *wanting* to get lost: I've purposefully become lost when moving to a new town. I venture on foot or bike in a direction from home for 10 minutes or so, and then head back the same way, retracing my steps. I repeat that as many times as needed until that 10-minute route's round trip is muscle memory. Then I add another 10 minute adventure from where the first left off, and repeat. P.S. The photos in this post were so beautiful. I love your hand drawn sense of direction, and also think it's so neat that you remember words and street names and can use them as your guiding stars. So charming.
Mary, your ten-minute approach is so, so clever - to repeat those same ten minutes until they’ve become a ‘feel’ thing - to develop your muscle memory in that way is such a great idea.
When I was an au pair in Germany I’d walk the kids to school and then walk home on my own. My route back was always the same - but didn’t bear all that much relation to the walk THERE. I couldn’t understand it. It took me weeks and weeks to work out that I’d been walking three sides of a block instead of the one side I should have taken.
Oh Rebecca, I feel for not being able to figure directional things out! I sometimes get that now! I stayed with my daughter in her new apartment last week and it took me a couple of days to figure out which way was what, and it was/is a small apartment. I thought, "now HOW could I not know where I am? This apartment isn't big enough to get lost!" ☺️
🤣
I’m not sure I agree with the getting lost advice. Unless it’s in a city. Too many bears and coyotes where we live. Probably lovely and serene where you are.
Gosh, no, I wouldn’t want to get lost where you are, Carissa! Good point! The most dangerous thing I’d come across would be road traffic. We have one native venomous snake species over here, but they’re not all that common and tend to stay away from people - and you’d have to actually step on one in order to have it bite you.
I love walking aimlessly in no particular direction in a city as there are always some landmarks to orient yourself to. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never even given myself the chance to get lost in the countryside though as I completely rely on my map-obsessed other half to navigate. Going out for a walk on the Downs by myself is something I really need/want to do though. I think an out & back walk is *probably* safest but much to think about after reading your brilliant piece…
You’re right about there being lots of landmarks in cities, but I struggle if I can’t see the horizon, and from there being too much sensory input - lots of bright colours, hustle and bustle, busy-ness and hubbub.
I hear you about relying on your other half to navigate. Jim’s got an excellent sense of direction, thank goodness!
I remember when my brother came to visit me in the city where I went to university - we walked from campus into the city, and chatted the whole way. After about an hour walking around the city centre, I asked him ‘where are we going?’
‘I don’t know’, he said. ‘I’ve been following you. And it’s been really funny!’
He’s got a really good sense of direction, which I would always take for granted - and I hadn’t noticed that he was letting himself be led by me, while all the time I thought I was letting myself be led by HIM! 🤣
That's brilliant! Must be the best kind of getting lost for sure - when you neither know nor mind that you are in fact lost! 😄
😁
While I appreciate the idea that getting lost can have positive outcomes, I can't help also thinking about how often it feels like the opposite can be true. Cognitively, novel experiences are supposed to be good for us, and a little bit of adrenaline is also said to be of value. But what I feel when I'm caught in a navigational misadventure is not something I intend to seek out on purpose. I'll forge my new neural pathways some other way, thank you very much!
Always appreciate knowing I'm not alone in this, Rebecca, and love that you write about it with honesty and humor.
You are so right! It feels unnatural to set out to get lost on purpose, when I know how uncomfortable and frightened I get when I am lost (or feel I might get lost). I wonder whether it might help if I do, though - or whether it’ll just make me self-destruct! I’ll keep you posted….. xxx
Please do! I can hardly wait to learn!