Last weekend, on the way to see an art show with a friend, I managed to get off at completely the wrong bus stop. This was partly because the place wasn’t clearly signposted and partly because my friend hadn’t realized that I navigate not so much by a sense of direction as by an implicit trust in my ability to wing it.

It took us about an extra forty minutes to get to where we were headed for, wondering through deserted suburban streets and then along country roads. At times, I couldn’t help remembering all those unfortunate tourists in horror movies that tend to come to unpleasant ends the minute they leave the city.

Eventually of course we got there. But on the way we walked past this path which looked absolutely beautiful on an Autumn afternoon.

A Path in Autumn

It’s amazing how the Autumn can make everyday suburban and urban scenes look beautiful and mysterious. Just think of those wonderful exterior locations  in The Exorcist (and maybe find yourself humming Tubular Bells). Part of me wanted to go down that path and find out where it lead to, even if it meant getting further away from our destination.

That’s the fun thing about getting lost or taking a detour. You get to see things and experience moments that you otherwise never would. It’s like a fleeting glimpse of other possibilities. I think that’s why being lost is both scary and exciting. And why, when we get to where we were heading to, we sometimes still think about the other paths.

See you when you get there.

Damian