The Beauty of Wandering Heedlessly
On getting lost on purpose and how it helped me find a new rhythm after a year of loss.
I've always adored walking through forests, and for the past few years, this activity has been an integral part of my life. Most weekends, or at least at regular intervals, I would go on walks through a forest not far from where I spent most of my time, walking with dogs. I also had big plans with someone once close to me to explore as many of the paths there as possible.
This beautiful routine has sadly turned into a relic, now found only in my dearest memories, and I miss it deeply and sincerely. Although I could have done these walks by myself in the many forests near where I live, the thought of going on them alone felt incredibly daunting these past months. Silence, in general, felt like my biggest enemy, which is why I tried my best to avoid it, especially in naturally quiet environments like nature.
Yet, while time heals no wounds, it certainly helps one live with them. After an incredibly rough year, I found myself slowly starting to find solace again in silence, especially loneliness-induced silence, these past few weeks. And as I missed these walks and the calming nature of forests, I have finally found myself surrounded by them regularly, forming a new routine that I would love to share in this blog post.
All images in this post were taken on a Sony Alpha 900 with a Sigma 70-200mm 1:2.8 lens
The Reward of Heedless Wandering
The first forest walk I tackled alone was through one I had visited regularly for eight years of my life, during my time as a boy scout. But with that time lying almost eight years in the past, I had a hard time remembering all the paths we used to walk or even ride our bikes along as kids.
Thus, I decided to simply wander with no path in mind and follow those at hand that looked interesting (or intimidating) enough to be explored. As I track all my walks using STRAVA, it was interesting to see the route my inner compass created.
I really came to enjoy the reward of heedlessly following paths and wandering the woods. Not constantly worrying about directions took a fair amount of weight off my mind, which was met with a relaxing sensation, especially when combined with the already soothing effect of the environment. It's something I enjoyed so much that I did it again a few days later in another forest I hadn't visited since my childhood, not knowing any of the routes or paths.
It was a 15km walk, during which I sometimes found myself completely off-track, leading to the discovery of truly beautiful scenery.
This activity has slowly turned into a routine I now practice as a form of "self-care." In general, I try to go on walks every single day for at least an hour, as its effects have been truly rewarding so far, especially for my state of mind.
Forests, or more broadly, nature on its own, can be a powerful place for winding down and almost escaping day-to-day life for a moment. But the result of combining these surroundings with the introduction of heedlessness is truly rewarding. It leaves even more room for one's thoughts or simply takes enough away to truly focus on... nothing. It's only oneself and the path ahead.
By now, as I write this blog post, I have established standard routes from those heedless paths I enjoyed most. And I try to do at least two bigger walks (almost hikes) every weekend, re-introducing a part of this once dear routine.
