On our first day vacationing in Maine this summer, my family and I trekked the mountainous Bubbles Trail of Acadia National Park. We persisted on autopilot with a sense of purpose and direction -- that is until we landed on a path that was unmarked. We were lost.
Without a map or cell service, we felt as if we were standing at a crossroads of possible directions with no certainty of the correct path. We questioned whether we should continue any further or turn around. Once our negativity revealed itself as our injury, we decided to use our uncertainty to empower us. We continued.
As I stared up at another rock to climb in Acadia, unable to see what was on the other side, I thought that I was close to the end of the journey. However, high on the mountain, nothing but endless fog and rocks were in view. It reminded me that doubt is the fog that clouds our vision and makes the future unclear. Looking back now to being physically lost, I realize that when we face mountains in our lives, the times that are ominous and plagued with uncertainty and failure, we can choose to continue despite the appearance of a wilderness. My inability to see what was down the path made me doubt that we were headed in the right direction, finding it possible that we were even more lost.
Hours later, we finally crossed over from the rocky terrain to the road. When you are lost, you feel hopeless, and there is no fooling yourself that you are fine on your own. Therefore, we sat on the side of the road, waiting until someone came in our direction to ask for possible routes. Once they pointed us in a new direction, our spirits were renewed and we readjusted our path.
Upon every turn, we envisioned our car up ahead. With every empty road, our adrenaline slowed. It was an endless cycle of lifted and beaten spirits and tired feet. Before long, landmarks became familiar, and sooner than later, our car was visible. When we finally made it back to where we had begun, I turned around and looked back. I came out of the mountain with an understanding of what it feels to be lost and conquer doubt. I felt invincible. Sometimes it takes getting lost to remind yourself that life doesn’t have a map, and there are aspects of life that we have no control over. Some risks are worth taking.
