We had been here before. The rocky cliffs and the overlooks were over-brimming with fond memories making us feel a little old remembering the number of visits. But then came a lady pointing her hands. The parking lot was full. That had never happened before. So, up we went in Starved Rock atop the meandering hill, past the visitor center, and the lodge, worried about the length of the walk from overflow parking lot.
Overflow parking took us through new trails and despite having been to Starved Rock many times, we were now new visitors asking for directions, seeing new sights. It felt better than our familiar plan. And nonetheless the memorable spots appeared. We walked past the picnic benches where we had sat in 2007 eating home-cooked food courtesy the big heart of my sister-like/mother-like friend. That was before we had children. It was a time we treated one another like children. We ambled across people with fishing poles and the green grass where we had come with my cousins years later.
See, when we follow plans, we gain the illusion of control. We may be lost, just don’t know about it. Control-the single most desired entity over our days, our life, our loved ones etc. And when you are lost and not know where you are going and things you wanted simply show up, a sense of shocking control of nature for the support of your plans transcends. How would life be if we simply went with the flow, glided from day to day, care-free like an un-tethered leaf, oblivious like a baby, free like a bird? Isn’t that how life ought to be lived? Don’t resist getting lost. Embrace it.
