Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Falcon State Park, Texas trail

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien

Hello Wild Ones,

With each wrinkle that appears on my 30 something face, I have accepted the fact that I am growing older. Throughout the years I came to realize that one must chose a path(s) in life that will lead us towards happiness. Somewhere along the way we do get lost and wander before ever really finding ourselves. What is it exactly that we are searching for, longing for, even waiting for? The answer lies within you. It is in the power of your mind.

You can easily change your perception of life with just one switch in your brain. As bizarre as that sounds, it is true. It is a practice I have been using for years. I have come to find that something as simple as switching my thoughts to a positive instead of a negative really does make all the difference to being able to live a happy and fulfilling life. No matter how tough life gets, it is a journey we must embark on our own. Each time I am on the trails, during the morning especially, is when I can see a bit of beauty that life has given me. I could not ask for anything more. I was given just one life and so have you. We have to wander through and find ourselves along the way. What path will you choose? Will you take chances, live wildly? All I will say is this, don’t ever regret anything that you do in life.

It was around 10:00 a.m on a July morning and my friend Joseph and I strapped our packs to our backs and started the trail hike early. It was the summer of 2014 and in deep south Texas our summers are scorching. It was quite bright that day especially by the time noon came around. Our goal was to hike the entire park, all of Falcon State Park. It was impossible I know. The Falcon International Resevoir is divided down the middle by the U.S./Mexico Border and is about a 154 mile stretch. I wanted to hike the scenic route that goes all along the lake and off trail from the cabins. It is filled with rich Texas Ebony and Mexican Olive. The sun was penetrating and the wind was hardly blowing. I nearly killed myself on that hike. My partner was more capable of handling the sun that day, whereas I was susceptible to the harsh summer sun. Ofcourse, at the time I didn’t know that. I was chugging water almost every half mile or so. Towards the end of the hike I started feeling nauseous and threw up a couple of times. I think I might have suffered from heat exhaustion or possibly an acute heat stroke. I felt terrible. I suppose it wasn’t the right choice to hike on a summer day like that. Yet, that is exactly the reason I live; to wander the trails and get lost in nature. As horrible as an experience that was, it happened because I made a bad choice. Which is something that we all do when trying to find our way through life. We make wrong decisions and that is how life is when trying to find our way. To me, city life is always the same yet when I go out into the wilderness (the little that thrives in south Texas) I feel that I am right where I am suppose to be. It is a moment I cherish. It is a sublime feeling. I get lost within myself. You can hear all the wild without listening. You can see all the surroundings without watching. It is freedom. Sometimes taking the path you want in life whether you know which way you are going or not will lead you back to where you belong. The power lies in your mind, remember that. Change your perception and you change your world. Wander and get lost as long as you need to just don’t forget to write home to your mother.

“Never let your mind tell your heart not to wander.”
~Unknown