Navigating Through Unfamiliar Places
I had an opportunity to attend my granddaughter’s graduation from the Navy Bootcamp recently, which was in Great Lakes, Illinois. I flew into Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which was an hour drive from where I had reserved a hotel. I was so excited to see my granddaughter and share in the celebration of her becoming a Sailor in the United States Navy. I had arrived a day early to ensure there were no delays or cancellations that would interfere with my plans to participate in this event. After all, it is not every day you have a granddaughter accomplish such a feat.
The ride from the airport to the hotel was about 40 miles. I am accustomed to driving long distances and had just done so, to meet up with my mother, daughter, and grandson to catch a flight out of DIA. So driving is not a big deal for me. However, driving in unfamiliar places is. Like most people, I used Google maps to get driving directions. Even though I had a voice guiding me to where I needed to go, I still felt somewhat unsure of where I was, and I had no idea of where I was going. There was nothing in my surroundings that provided any sense of direction or familiarity. Everything was foreign to me, and I felt lost.
To get to where I was going, I had to trust in the resource I was using -Google maps, and I had to trust that the directions that were provided would get me to where I was going, otherwise, I would not have been able to find my way to my destination. The process of getting to where I was going was uncomfortable and relying on something outside myself to help me navigate unfamiliar places, is what I needed, despite how I was feeling, or what I was thinking. I eventually arrived at my destination, even when I made a wrong turn and had to be re-routed – several times. I could not have reached my destination successfully, without the guidance of a source that had the resources I needed at that time.
This experience made me think about life experiences and counseling. Sometimes, life can throw us a curveball and we find ourselves on a different path than anticipated. It is an unfamiliar path – a path that we have not walked along before. We are uncertain of how to navigate through to the other side. Nothing is familiar. We feel lost. We feel overwhelmed by this feeling of being lost as we have no sense of direction. Counseling is a resource – focused on helping us successfully arrive at our destination. Counseling will help us find the best route and will alert us of any delays we might find along the way.
Traveling to new places takes us out of our comfort zone, especially when we don’t know what to expect. No matter where we find ourselves, Counseling aims to provide an opportunity for us to make sense of where we are and provide the guidance and direction we need to navigate successfully through unfamiliar places.