Ever been lost?  I mean, lost?  As humans, we are natural-born wanderers.  We are drawn to the “greener” side of the grass with only curiosity as our motive.  Yet in doing so, as we continue our journey, we eventually come to find that are in a place that is not only unfamiliar, but completely unrecognizable.  And unless we were like Hansel and Gretel and thought enough ahead to lay bread crumbs along the trail so that we might be able to find our way home, we have no idea which way to go.  Heading off in one direction could lead us further away or it could take us closer, but because there are no landmarks that speak to you to give the comfort you secretly long for.

Some of us are lost and we don’t even know it.  We never want to appear as being weak so we never ask for directions.  We never ask for help.  Instead we trudge along, wandering in circles, getting nowhere fast.  Wasted energy and time become our only companions on this trek that seems to go on forever.  At some point in our lives, we all strike out on our own, living the life we have always imagined.  Our decisions and choices are always made with the best of intentions, never realizing the aftermath those decisions and choices cause — not only to ourselves, but to others as well.  Setting out on a new adventure provides us with hope and encourages us to be creative and requires putting our knowledge to good use.

Most high school students crave that day — the one where they get to live on their own for the first time in 18 years.  Having our middle son head off to college a month ago, I am confident that he put his best foot forward as he set out to make new friends, find the best time to head to dinner, and plan his sleep habits around gaming time on his Xbox.  But travelling is an absolute must.  It is essential to growth, learning, and life itself.  Being afraid to travel can hinder our zest for life and we sometimes can find that we have traveled so far away that we can’t find out way home.

Getting lost is not always what it seems.  Ever imagined that you get lost in life?  That you seem to have lost your way and then when you find it, you are still lost but not in the same way  You were walking along, minding your won business, and before you knew it, you were in it…in it deep.    Way over your head.  As you turn to head back in the direction you just came from, you find that the path has disappeared.  It is gone.  And then it hits you…you can’t go back.  There is no going back.  And without warning, you begin to hear it…almost faintly at first, but you know you hear it.  You look around to see if anyone else is around, perhaps making that noise, but you find no one.  You are alone.  Your desperate cries reach the emptiness, left in the wake you simply left on a now-gone road.   You ask yourself questions and mostly have no answers.  Yet, the answers you can muster seem to come from some place you have never been to or seen before.  It was dark, but you see a little light shining ahead.  You try not to struggle in the ever-powerful grip that feels both suffocating and yet strangely uplifting all the same.  You can’t break the binds.

Questions like, “Where is this light coming from?” and “Why can’t I go back?” seem to flood your mind.  You feel no real direction of any sort.  And as you begin to accept the light, the grips loosen and you gather more freedom.  The noise you once heard translates into a song…a song like you have never heard of  before.  You are entranced by the melody and the words and are mesmerized by the trance you have fallen under.  The magic of the lullaby has you hypnotized and will not release you.  And your fear and apprehension has been replaced by calmness and appreciation.

 You are no longer lost.

Instead, you have found life and all the beauty it has in store for you.  You shed what used to weigh you down, are no longer afraid, and greet your new being with open arms, as if you had waited for each other for a lifetime.  That embrace is short-lived, because almost as instantly as you become entwined with one another, you are no longer two, but one.  You and life are now one and the same.  Now, with your rescue complete, you understand  that life has swallowed you whole.  You have become so immersed in it that escaping is not possible.  Life has extended you a life-line, and you looked up, just in time to see it and let it pull in, like a force field.

Why do we get lost?

We get lost for a variety of reasons:

• We turn on “auto-pilot”

• We aren’t vested

• We think no one notices

• We are afraid

• We are reactive

• We give up

• We don’t ask for help

Life is a tough gig…no doubt about it.  And it eat you for dinner if you let it.  But if you listen…really hard, you will hear the greatest thing ever — the song of life.  It will capture your imagination and propel dreams into reality.  The song will become your cradle for everything you hold dear.  Simple moments will become the most precious to you.  Kind words will radiate long after they are said.  Beautiful people will come into your life and change it forever.  You will stop pretending and will seize the days as they are granted to you, in whatever fashion they come.  You begin to chant your own tune and others become drawn to it as well.  They are encouraged by your bravery, strength, and compassion.  Your soul has begun to sing the lyrics it was born to sing.

Can you hear it?  Close your eyes. Listen.  Don’t move.  Be still.  Clear your mind.  Cut through the noise.  Feel the beat of your heart.

We all get lost in our lives.  Maybe we get lucky and find our way out.  Maybe we don’t.  But you know when you are no longer lost because you will hear that song…the only one that you can hear…the song of life.

Michelle A. Homme 2014 ©