Have you ever heard Albert Einstein’s quote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”? If that’s true then there’s no question that we’ve all been a bit insane at one time or another. Today I realized that I’ve been slowly going insane over the past several weeks and decided it was time to put a stop to the madness.
On my way home tonight I got lost. Not by accident though, no, completely by choice. It was almost 1:00 AM when I exited the 710 freeway, turned onto an unknown street and ventured in the general direction of home. If you live in Los Angeles you might think what I did was a little crazy given that it isn’t usually a smart idea to drive through unfamiliar neighborhoods after dark. Sure, at any moment during my mini-adventure I could have picked up my GPS enabled cell phone and been directed immediately back to safe and boring familiarity, and you know what, it was tempting. But I was in no hurry and in no immediate danger, so I decided to take each turn in stride and just do whatever felt right.
Though it was relatively short-lived, in that 20 minutes of uncertainty I experienced a mixture of emotions, from fear and panic to laughter and reassurance. At one point I even discovered a very large, beautiful Buddhist Temple I never knew existed, the “Ming YA Buddhist Foundation.” Most importantly, my detour brought back the feeling of being alive that I’ve been missing lately and reminded me of how easy it can be to find our way even when we’re feeling a little lost.
It sure felt good to trust my instincts and try something new tonight. Stepping outside my comfort zone was such a great way to exercise my intuitive muscles and help me live in the present moment. I’m looking forward to sharing with you many more of these experiences over the next few months.
(Photo Credit: Google Street View)
Hi Ryan!
I just wanted to share my own experience that comes to mind after reading your ‘beautiful temple discovery’ while being intentionally lost. The only difference is…I did not choose to be lost in an 18 wheeler!
There I was in an 18 wheeler in an unfamiliar area. It was the first time I drove solo in the Los Angeles area. I found the first customer drop and the dock crew unloaded the box (trailer) after a fairly long wait. I then deadheaded to the next destination and found it okay in an other area a distance away. I waited until this company filled the empty trailer with boxes and boxes of party supplies. By the time I left this customer the sun had gone down and the darkness was setting in. So here I am leaving the docking area and feeling confident that I know where I’m going to get back on the interstate and out of California heading northeast. I am driving in the night with thousands of lights dotting the darkness and I get on the interstate alright but it’s the opposite direction from where I need to be. Well this isn’t too bad and I think I’ll just take the next off ramp and circle back around and all will be well. It didn’t exactly happen as planned because the area I was in didn’t have an overpass or entrance to the interstate once I got off. I ended up in an area that looked rather shading and I started to feel a little uneasy. Big rigs are hijacked more often then most realize and the company I worked for had a fleet of over 3000 tractor/trailer combinations over the road and every week there was a hijacking attempt or actual takeover. This night, there were mixed ethnic people walking the streets and wondering if I were in East L.A.…(had been in Los Angeles area during the 1992 riots) I starting to feel more and more uneasy. One guy with dark clothes and a hood kept looking up at me as I waited for a light to change and my thought was to run the light, as no cross traffic was coming, before he could jump on the steps, if that was his intent The light did change and as I started moving he switched back in a different direction. I finally found a highway and I didn’t know exactly where it was going, but I got on it and figured it would lead me to the interstate of which it did. During this time of circling to get going in the right direction I had felt uneasy, then somewhat anxious and frustrated that the company I worked for would send me, a solo female drive, to the Los Angeles area! Before this life trial, I had felt confident that they trusted me enough to send me there with an expensive load and driving expensive equipment! Actually I could have refused the load, but that wouldn’t have gone over very well and besides it was a growing experience for me as I became aware later. I do remember a pleasant moment when I drove around a long curve and saw the most beautiful city of lights! They were so bright and beautiful I felt like I had gotten a little glimpse of heaven or at least my imagination for a moment thought it. Then I am reminded of our own light within and how we are to let our light shine from within while trusting in our higher power.
What a beautiful experience, Sandra! I even picked up on your trucker-speak (i.e. ‘deadhead’) :-).. This also reminded me of when my trucker friend came to LA for the first time. She also got off the freeway at the wrong spot and had a hard time getting back on. So much so, in fact, that she ended up trying to navigate her truck down streets that were too narrow and clipped a few cars in the process, all while talking on the phone with me!! She was quite devastated as it was her first accident while on the job, but she handled it well.
Thank you so much for posting, Sandra :-).