cktimes.ca Archives for Cultural Musings on Chatham-Kent
Cultural Musings on Chatham-Kent
WHY DON'T YOU GET LOST?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
I really think that the reason why so many of us cannot, metaphorically, find ourselves is that we rarely, in reality, get lost anymore.When is the last time that you strayed off the beaten track and tried to get lost? I don't mean in the backwoods of Georgia or Northern Quebec, I mean in the good old back roads of Chatham Kent.
When is the last time that you had the time and made the effort to just roam the local countryside in search of....oh I don't know.....just whatever is out there!?
I bet it has been a while or maybe you have never done it. You might even think that it's a rather silly thing to do. A waste of time you say? Well.... maybe but on the other hand it just might be the very experience that you need.
There's something rather exciting and challenging about wandering off on a random road and making left and right hand turns until you have no idea where you are and then using your sense of direction to try and find your way back to "civilization".
Not only is it a bit of a challenge but you get to see and experience things that you would never do at any other time. Maybe it's an old barn built in a fashion you have never seen before, maybe it's a dilapidated old house that is simply crying out for a sketch to be made of it or a picture to be taken of it.
Maybe you'll come across an old historic marker that is barely visible beneath the vines and branches that conceal it. Maybe you'll stumble across an old antique store full of wonderfully interesting objects at prices well below those on the road more heavily traveled.
Maybe you'll meet a fascinating local who'll give you a totally different perspective on life. Maybe you'll actually discuss things that you see with your husband, wife or kids. Maybe you'll have some shared experiences on one of those back roads that will last a lifetime and become part of your family's traditions and lore.
Maybe you'll find yourself a bit hungry and you'll stop to have a bite to eat at an old roadside picnic table that's a little worse for wear but still very serviceable.
And talking about that......why have so many picnic stops and roadside picnic tables been removed? I think it's because of exactly what I am talking about here.
No one can be bothered packing a picnic lunch. No one can take the time anymore to stop and start up the old Coleman propane stove, take out the plastic picnic utensils and cook up some burgers or hot dogs or maybe a healthy bowl of soup. It's so much easier to pull into a Wendy's, MacDonald's, or Tim Hortons and grab a quick bite of something totally unhealthy and get right back on the road.
Why are we in such a rush to get where we are going? Why can't we enjoy the trip? Isn't that old adage about getting there being half the fun still true? Half the time we rush to a location at 75 miles per hour to sit and ponder what to do next once we arrive. Does that make sense to anyone?
So.....why not take one day out of this summer's annual vacation and just "get lost". You may end up finding things you have never seen or experienced before and just maybe you'll find part of yourself that you have, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, lost.
Jim and Lisa Gilbert are local, national and international award winning educators and historians.
