Sometimes I get lost in the woods. Not lost in a physical sense for I have always found my way home. My “lost” is more of a mental lost in which I become so absorbed in my environment and the moment that I wouldn’t know if it was ten or four o’clock. It is a wonderful way to escape from what Nessmuk called the, “debts, duns, and deviltries” of life.
There are certain ingredients that have to exist, I think, if one is to get “lost”. First, you must be in the right frame of mind. You must be willing to walk away from those things in your life that are weighing heavy on your mind. Work, money, personal relationships, the past and the future must be left behind. Lord knows they will encroach back into your conscious mind soon enough.
Next you must find the right place. It could be your backyard but more likely it will be that special place in the state park, a canoe trip down the river, or the woodlot of a friend, a place you can go and enjoy some moments undisturbed in nature. It might happen while you are leaning against a tree listening to the wind blowing through the branches. It might happen when you are stalking a deer or watching a squirrel darting about. Maybe it happens while you are out among the vibrant colors of fall or while celebrating the new growth of spring. There are many such places and times for me and I hold each one dear.
The next thing you need is the right companion. Perhaps the best companion at the time is yourself. Thoreau once said, “I have not yet met the companion as companionable as solitude.” If someone joins they should be of like mind and temperament.
I think of it in the same way I would choose a canoe partner. Their paddle stroke must be compatible with my own and our conversation must flow easily and without effort. When we observe something more often than not we need say nothing for we both have the same feelings. We understand each other’s likes and dislikes and our discourse reflects our similarities. At night around the campfire our conversation, more often than not, tends towards the philosophical.
These are a few of the ingredients that I need in order to get “lost”. I am sure each person has their own recipe. I urge you to take a walk in the woods and lose your compass and watch. To paraphrase Thoreau, you might find a thousand regions of your mind yet unexplored.
John B. DeLap 