“Not all those who wander are lost”

- J.R.R. Tolkien

When I move to a new town, one of the first things I love to do is try to get lost. I generally spend a couple of days driving a few hours in every direction, learning how roads connect, circling back on myself, recognizing familiar landmarks, and enjoying the landscape. One of my favorite experiences doing this happened near Wilmore, KY shortly after moving there for seminary in 2006. I set out south toward Harrodsburg, across the Kentucky River and through the beautiful Palisades and then turned off on a few back roads. Unlike other places, I had lived, I found that Kentucky roads do not always follow compass directions. You may start heading south and end up going Northeast on the same road without realizing it. A few hours later I found myself in the familiar town of Nicholasville, less than 15 minutes from home. When I arrived I told my wife I found a new route to Wal-mart that takes about 2 hours and crosses the Kentucky River 5 times. Needless to say, the next time we went to Wal-mart, she drove.

In a world so driven by productivity and getting directly from one place to another or one thing to another, the joy of wandering is lost…