When Getting Lost Leads You Home

Lately, I’d been feeling disconnected from myself—like I couldn’t quite reach my higher self. I had been so busy with the constant demands of life that I somehow lost myself. It left me struggling to trust my intuition, especially when it came to bigger decisions. What I did feel, though, was a deep pull to be in nature, surrounded by trees. I craved a break from the noise and busyness of it all, hoping to reconnect with my inner voice.

I discovered a new set forest trails I’d never been on before and set out with the intention of getting a little lost, so I could find myself again. At first, I resisted. I kept checking the map, wanting the comfort of knowing exactly where I was. But eventually, I let go and allowed myself to wander. And what I discovered was that I couldn’t really get lost. No matter where I turned, I always found my way.

That walk became a turning point. In allowing myself to trust the path, I found myself again. Spirit has a way of speaking when we’re willing to listen, and the woods that day had plenty to share. What followed was a moment of clarity and inspiration that came through in the form of a poem, which I’ve shared below.

I Got Lost in the Woods to Find Myself

I walked into the woods with an agenda.

To get lost.

Now how can one plan to get lost?

What silly ways we try to control

what is supposed to be surrendered and free.

And had I not truly gotten lost

I would not have found my way.

At first, I came across not a single human soul,

But the forest was alive with spirits

With sounds

With energy.

Funny how to be surrounded by humans

out in the concrete jungle

is to be more alone

then here amongst the trees.

Oh, how we long to leave our mark on this world,

How fragile our egos that we need to dominate fellow living beings,

How desperate we are for connection we carve our names in trees.

At one point I came across a fork in my path

I chose the one that looked clearer,

But it led me astray and I had to go back

to take the one that would lead me forward.

However, a detour in life is never wasted,

For I saw and learned more

than if I never went down the first path at all.

And when I got to the end of that second road

I looked to my left,

And saw how the first one

would have led me to this very same spot where I stood.

But I had given up too soon,

Right when I would’ve made my way through.

I faced many moments on my journey

where I couldn’t see any further ahead,

And it appeared to be a dead end,

So I turned around

to find a new way.

But somehow found myself

on the other side of it all,

And a path that was once hard to see through

Now clearly taught me the importance of trusting it all.

From this new vantage point

where hindsight is 20/20,

I realized that had I kept walking the original path

I would have made it through after all.

And I saw how

when you are true to you

and trust,

You can never go astray,

Because all roads lead to the same.

At another moment on my journey

I looked across a meadow

around a large cement water container

that trapped natural resources inside

and let others grow around it,

I saw red trees and longed to be there,

wishing to be transported there immediately

but then I let go of the desire and continued on,

And lo and behold,

Where did I end up later?

But exactly where I had dreamed to be,

Instead of from afar in vision only

I was now firmly planted in that reality.

Eventually I found myself on paved gravel again,

And I was surprised with how I resisted.

I must go back to the rugged paths I thought,

To the hard,

To the trials on trails.

But what if I could take this moment to rest instead?

Savor the easy,

Just for a little while longer,

Because soon enough,

I would find myself in dirt once again.

The sights were still magnificent,

The experience not at all tainted,

In fact this may have been

the most beautiful stretch of land yet,

If only I could truly slow down to enjoy it.

I felt tempted again to travel a side road

And yes I could go down it,

But what if I stayed just a little bit longer

On the smooth and even ground,

Maybe let someone else

adventure and lead that way.

Is the path less traveled truly harder?

In what ways?

More risky?

More dangerous?

More discomfort?

You have to squeeze through openings

that have been abandoned.

Create new trails that don’t exist,

or have long been forgotten and overgrown.

Traveling the common path is “easiest,”

And if you worry, take that one.

But adventure awaits the wild and free ones.

They’ll reconnect you with your humanity

With your spirit

With all you have lost

and that is waiting to be returned to you.

I realized that I didn’t need a formal ceremony

orchestrated by humans

to benefit from the many ways

one can be with plant medicine.

Nature is always waiting to receive us.

It’s own orchestra of sounds and melodies

waiting for us to listen, to hear,

If only we greet it quietly, respectfully.

And are ready and open to be,

Open to see,

Open to receive.

And be held.

To breathe it in

Walk alongside it

Surrender to it

Bathe in it

Connect with it

So when I left the woods

I had not solved any problems,

Made no major life revelations,

But more had been uncovered

Revealed

Known

And understood.

And so I returned.

That day in the woods reminded me of something simple yet profound: sometimes the answers we’re searching for don’t come in the form of solutions or quick fixes. They arrive as whispers, as a knowing in our body and our soul—a gentle reminder that when we trust the path, we always find our way back to ourselves.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected, uncertain, or like you’ve “lost your way,” maybe your next step isn’t about figuring it all out, but about allowing yourself to wander, to listen, and to be held by something bigger than yourself.

Take a moment to reflect: where do you go when you need to reconnect with yourself?

And if you’re wanting support and guidance on your journey back to your true self, I’d be honored to walk alongside you. Reach out, and let’s connect.