I Took Another Path

 One of the perks of living in a place like Alaska is the limitless hiking one can do, even within a fairly reasonable distance of the populated areas. Visitors to any of the major cities are surprised that someone can take advantage of these chances to get out in nature so close to the more developed communities. It's what I love about being here - you're never very far from the peace and quiet, if only you choose to go seek it out. Creating breathing room in your life is fairly easy here, compared to some places, and I never tire of jumping in the car and heading out to one of these tranquil spaces, throwing on a backpack, and engaging with the wonder of being alive.  

On one such occasion not long ago, I was wandering on a trail I don't go on as often. I've been down it before. It's up in a mountainous valley and is one of my absolute favorite views on earth. I really should go there more. The path is a bit tricky to find but once you're on it, it's like the most worth it thing in the world... just to look out on this beautiful piece of God's country I get to call home. And isn't that the way oftentimes? The best roads are usually off the beaten path - you have to go looking for the beauty and the wonder or else you'll miss the best things. 

As I made my way back down, I was trying to figure out the best path to take back to where I wanted to go. So many people have made their own trails that go off the main trail that it's sometimes tough to see how to get back down. And so, I picked one. I took another path. And pretty soon, I found myself on the edge of a pretty big drop and my descent suddenly got more complicated than I anticipated. I smiled. Such is life, huh? But I kept carefully putting one foot in front of the other and gradually worked my way down. And while I did so, I thought of something I read recently in a book. The author mentioned that one of the things we've sacrificed as a society for convenience sake is the art of getting lost. Yes... the art of getting lost. 

Back in the day, before there was any such thing as GPS or Siri, you had to look at a map or write down directions to somewhere. You had to use your own navigational skills to figure out where you were. But now, with the ease of these things at our disposal, we no longer have to learn to look for landmarks. We don't have to observe our surroundings as much. We don't have to remember street names. We can just punch in the address and be on our way. But here's the crazy part: the author also pointed out that, from a neurological standpoint, we are losing out on a valuable opportunity to build our problem-solving skills and actually increase our mental capacity because we're letting technology do all the work for us! We're becoming dumber because we don't let ourselves go off-trail anymore. 

So here I was, coming down the drop-off and thinking to myself, I'm building my brain right now! A little nerdy I guess, but it was true. I was choosing to take another path. Perhaps it brought some risks with it but by the time I got all the way down and followed it out, I discovered some new things along the way. I found a beautiful bridge I'd never seen, saw the views from an angle I'd never witnessed. I took in the sun as it was slowing making i's way down the valley and toward the horizon. The shadows in play on the mountains were enough to take my breath away. And my soul was filled. Awe was inspired. All because I was brave enough to go a different way. 

I couldn't help but think of how this described my personal story in so many ways. On numerous occasions, I have decided to pick an alternate route. I trusted God as my guide and figured the views might be fresh on another path. I've always been curious. I've loved the adventure of never having to stay on the conventional road and being surprised by what I discovered along the way. Miracles on miracles have strewn the trail, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. 

Let everyone else have their predicable paths... I'll take the one less traveled and more filled with wonder. Every. single. time. Because that's often where God is... in the hidden places least expected.