never go back the way you came

I’m always lost. I know that sounds kind of strange, but it’s true. I can be somewhere I’ve been many times before, including my home town, and still end up not having a clue which way I need to turn to get where I need to go next. When I walk out of a store at the mall I, without fail, turn in the direction from where I came as opposed to the direction I planned to be heading. I was born without the directional gene and Aaron sarcastically but fondly calls me Magellan.

With the help of an on-dash GPS unit I am lost less often on this trip and I have a new sense of freedom as a result. I can get lost on purpose now with the confidence that Karen (aka the friendly Australian voice in the GPS box) will undoubtedly take me home again. And the cool thing is that even when I am not lost, Karen never takes me home the same way I came. At first this was frustrating – how am I supposed to know where I am going if I never go there the same way? But then I realized, especially on this journey, that this is an amazing opportunity and maybe even a bit of a life lesson – what exactly is the point of going the same way twice? Isn’t life about discovering new paths, taking new journeys, following the roads less traveled? There is a certain comfort to doing things the same way they’ve always been done, but I would argue that even if it seems like the familiar way is the best way, the adventure comes when you take another route.

A few days ago I was browsing in a shop that has these wonderful quote cards and magnets that I love (the line is called quotables) and I always find something inspiring in the words they print. This time was no exception. I found a quote that says it all: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”- Ralph Waldo Emerson. I imagine Ralph and Karen would have gotten along famously.

Below are some photos that are from Greensboro. Not typically on my route but close enough to Winston to be worth the trip this weekend. And Karen got me home safe.






I know it's odd, and bit macabre, but I really like taking photographs in old cemeteries. And there happened to be one I drove by (accidentally thanks to Karen) on my way out at sunset. What a cool opportunity for shapes and shadows.









Below are photos from the most interesting store in Greensboro. It used to be a "junk" antique store. You know the kind - where there's only one path to the door and the shelves are crammed floor to ceiling with stuff you can't even begin to imagine anyone wanting to collect. A forward thinking young man inherited it from his grandmother and turned the store into a work of art. He invited local artists to come in and create what they could from what was in the store. Every display is art and made from the junk found there. And it's always being redesigned. Talk about a new outlet for found objects. Very cool.