Not all who wander are lost.
I’m thinking of this oft quoted phrase this morning because it was printed on the back of my cereal box. Along with a serene photo of people doing yoga. The cereal is good for me and I love how yoga makes me feel, but I’m really tired of the commercialized zen shit. But, back to the phrase.
I would argue that no one who wanders is lost. Wandering brings to mind an unhurried afternoon of exploration. A gentle meander down country roads or through city streets. Time to take in the sights and go places that you don’t normally have time to go. People who are wanderers are curious explorers. Not people who are lost.
People who are lost don’t wander. They skitter. They search. They panic. I got lost once driving to work after taking my husband to O’Hare airport. I wasn’t wandering the tollway looking for the right exit. I was frantically reading signs, looking for landmarks, considering pulling over at a gas station to ask directions. (This was in the pre-cell phone/GPS days.) I was purposeful in my hunt for the right way. I certainly wasn’t wandering.
So, I would say that we who enjoy wandering are never lost. We’re not looking for a certain path. We’re just enjoying the view from wherever we are.
*JRR Tolkien is the original writer of this line that is now so often found tattooed on “enlightened” arms and printed on t-shirts. The poem it’s from (part of the book “The Fellowship of the Ring”) is really lovely and should be enjoyed in its entirety, not just quoted on cereal boxes:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.