Getting Lost Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

In my short time living in DC I have gotten to experience several great activities that I will never soon forget. From jazz in the park on a hot and humid Friday, to exploring the depths of the national gallery of art there are so many fun things available to do 24/7. This is great for me because I always like to stay busy, but this high-passed, planned out lifestyle can get overbearing sometimes. That is why when I come to a new city I always try to get myself lost purposely to experience the little things and find the gems that get lost in the rush. When I traveled through Europe my senior year of high school this mentality helped me find the best escargot in Paris and found me the best vantage point to view the city of Florence chowing down on gelato I got out of the back of someone’s car. But here in DC, you don’t have to deal with the language barrier, so asking anyone on the street what's their favorite thing to do will prompt them to respond with the craziest thing they can remember. These crazy stories can help inspire you to find out what the real city is like, but you must follow through and live the stories for the connections to stick. This method of adventuring requires you to be willing to make some compromises to your daily lifestyle. First you need to be willing to trust and make your way down the back alleys because you never know who or what you will find. This may come off as scary, but most of the time if you are safe about how you behave in these places the situations will turn out great. Second you need to remove the mentality of, happiness comes from sitting in my comfort zone where everything is safe and warm. Our life in this city is short and if we don’t say yes to everything and get out there and wander the streets we will be wasting our precious time. The other small things will always be there, but we will never get another shot to go out and enjoy ourselves at this moment again. And the last thing that makes my city exploring method odd is the usual stress that comes about from the feeling of being lost. This feeling runs through everyone and leads to a sense of concern. You need to be able to suspend this feeling in order to fully immerse yourself. But make sure to keep yourself grounded, the key to having fun in this manner is to always be safe and enjoy the people you are with.