What is the lesson of being lost?
Some people set New Year's resolutions... none for the Lost Nav, thanks. I set resolutions nearly everyday. Over every cup of coffee, every sunny day in the park, I walk, I sit, drink, think... The Lost Nav fixes his position constantly, checks his speed, time, fuel, makes little corrections. Stay lost, I say, but stay close to course. Stay close, but not so close such that the other paths are obstructed.
The lucky are those who see to the end of their path, those who know what they want, have what they want... or are they? They're too close to course, too pleased with their own ability to stay on that black line. To a Lost Nav it sounds like complacency; the same brand of success repeated over and over again. It's time for a new route to fly.
To a Lost Nav the fun is in finding new things you never knew you wanted, in finding what you might have missed otherwise. The point is working toward a goal, even an impossible goal, just for the joy and the challenge in the journey.
In pursuit of a far off target and because of some rough seas of red tape; I spent nearly half of 2009 couch surfing. And take it from a surfer... the best part is not finally coming to shore, it's barely hanging on, it's the controlled chaos of just being able to stay up on that wave.
Back on dry land, as 2009 began, I had a pretty stable little existence. It was a temporary stopover on the voyage.
I had a steady routine of a job, great friends, possibly the greatest apartment in New York City; but it was also the right time to carry on with it. I had reached a plateau and it was time to get moving. I had that application pending with the Peace Corps. It was a good feeling to know something was over the horizon.
I'd encourage anyone to chase the dream on the wind, but would never tell anyone to do it without a plan. That's what napkins and coffee were made for. Not every moment of life is right to shove off, but have a plan. Have a plan to go and have a plan to come back. Take it waypoint by waypoint, but the most important thing is trust your instruments... that is to say: Take advice, learn from experience, listen to what this person and that person thinks, digest it, process, but don't follow it blindly. The path shifts, rivers dry, winds change, the way never looks the same as it did once before, but people will try to chart a course for you. It is probably well-intentioned, it could be over-cautious or misunderstood, it may be out of the fear of others' success; but whatever it is they don't see what you see, their compass isn't slewed to your compass. Steer your own ship. Steer it so when you arrive you can say that you did it, not someone else. Make every success and setback your own or you'll have nothing at all. You'll be the hollow reflection of those around you. A Lost Nav is always responsible for his own navigation.
Join me out here, in your own way. Find a challenge, a mountain top and a far-off shore; find a new map. Look beyond your own corner of the world; look beyond yourself. Never run from things; only run to them. And even if you never get there, make sure that you enjoy the ride. Playing the game is better than holding the trophy and climbing the mountain is better than sitting at the top. The top is lonely and it's cold and there's usually no place good to sit anyway.
It's difficult to get up and leave; but it should be harder to stay, to give up another opportunity to improve just a little, to learn, to see, to live. The only wrong direction is no direction at all.
Happy travels in 2010. If you see me out here, be sure to wave.
-The Lost Nav
I'm shocked-shocked I say to discover there is gambling going on in this establishment.
ReplyDeleteI am not accustomed to the introspective Navigator. What an interesting post, but a good one to see on New Years day. I'm pleased you've found the freedom of the page.