11 May The Blue Dot
“Which way do we need to go?” I asked my husband as we walked out of the hotel lobby and onto the sidewalk.
We were enjoying a weekend family trip and had heard great things about an Italian restaurant nearby. We decided to walk there for an early dinner.
I took out my phone and stared at the blue dot that represented our location in the navigation app. The dot was motionless on the screen.
“I think we go that way,” I said, pointing to the left and squinting at my phone.
“I think we go that way,” my husband said, pointing to the right.
We stood still, huddled together and looking out toward the different directions we could go.
“Let’s just start walking any way. It’s getting cold,” said Ella, wrapping her sweater tightly around herself.
Emma agreed, nodding with chattering teeth.
We went left and walked for a little while. And as the blue dot began to move, we realized we were getting farther from the Italian restaurant.
We stopped to look again at the phone and figure out how to best get to the restaurant. It was only when we looked up that we realized we were standing directly in front of a charming bistro. I put the phone away as the owners ushered us into the warmth, seated us at a table covered in a red checkered cloth and brought us steaming bowls of homemade soup and freshly made bread. It was exactly what we all needed.
We might set out with a particular destination in mind, but the unexpected twists and turns and meanderings are what make space for some of life’s best surprises.
It’s a good reminder that we never know quite what the future holds. We don’t know with certainty where a road is taking us — or if it is taking us anywhere at all. But maybe that’s the upside of uncertainty. The only way to know where we are (and figure out where we really want to go) is to take that first step forward.