Getting Lost

She had the feeling that if she went home, she might never get away. She thought of birds caught in nets. There was something inside her, beating against her ribs, urging her to do things she might not otherwise attempt. She had the strongest desire to get lost. Alice Hoffman, Author of The Red Garden

I’ll be the first to admit it…I can’t find my way out of a paper bag. Unless the sun is immediately setting or rising, I have no idea which direction is north, south, east, or west. Dolphin Tiki Bar and Grill advertises, “Finding us is half the fun.” I haven’t been there yet. Unfortunately, I’ve passed this malady on to my daughter, Katie. My older daughter, Winnie, on the other hand, lives in Harlem, in the heart of New York and knows the city like the back of her hand. My son, Dan, found his way around Paris and took a train to Strasburg when he was 18…alone. Go figure!

My point?? Even if you are a human compass, sometimes you lose your way in life since, unfortunately, our brains are not wired to a “Life GPS” system. However, in getting “lost” we may do things we “might not otherwise attempt”, to quote Hoffman. I’ve certainly been lost on occasion in my life and, at the time, felt that I would never find my way. But I came out of the weeds changed with renewed confidence and an empathy that was found while I was lost.

Affirmation: It is ok to be lost from time to time.

Coaching question: When have you lost your way? What was the result? How did it change you?