I walk by her side, and the darkness lifts from my soul. I walk with her, and I hear the gentle beating of mighty wings.
Neil Gaiman, Sandman #8: “The Sound of Her Wings”
Sometimes, not very often (insert 2020 joke here), I’ve had the luxury of traveling for business – and even rarer than that, such travel has included time for wandering. My trip to a cyber security law conference at Georgetown University was one such anomaly, which I spent walking down to the National Mall on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon … and walking back that evening through a flash flood downpour. Ah, DC, you Michigan copycat, you.
Wandering without a clear destination (also affectionately known as, getting lost to get found) is one of my favorite pastimes. So often my journeys are in the company of others — companions, kids, an extended family entourage — but there’s something distinctly powerful about setting out on my own, Google Pixel camera app at the ready, and letting the character of a place make its appearance. Best part: no need to apologize for constantly losing my way — my sense of direction and I are old, aimless friends, and we figured out a long time ago that there’s no such thing as “going the wrong way” when you’re wandering.
I’ll close with a few snaps from that afternoon. My hobbyist photographer training voice told me not to take these shots – everyone takes this shot, they whispered – but then, I took the shots. And once you take these shots, you have to share these shots, I whispered back. At which point, they pouted in the corner, and begrudgingly admitted that I am right.
And so it goes.
Muttering Retreats 
Not all are lost who wander, and not all who wander are lost. You seem to have been able to combine the best of both worlds! 😉
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If you’ve got it, flaunt it … or is it, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? #perspective
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I like those pics a lot. Most of them are unique in some manner or another. You put your own spin on the “everybody takes those” shots quite adeptly.
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