Permission to Wander

Recently an Australian author/poet/publisher whom I met through the creation and distribution of The World in Our Words 2 came to British Columbia, Canada to stay with me for a few days.

Some people remind you that life is meant to be lived, not simply managed. Stephannie Rowe is one of those people.

Her spirit of adventure, deep appreciation for friendship, love of beautiful places, delicious food, and willingness to embrace the unexpected inspired this poem. Through her eyes, a wrong turn becomes an invitation, a familiar landscape becomes new again, and a simple day can become a memory worth keeping.

This poem is a celebration of the joy she shares so naturally. The reminder to wander, to wonder, to laugh, to connect, and to trust that sometimes the most beautiful moments are found on roads we never planned to take.

Substack link: https://open.substack.com/.../p/permission-to-wander...

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Give yourself permission to wander.

To leave the neatly drawn map folded on the seat beside you,

roll down the windows,

and follow a dirt road you've never noticed before.

The world was never meant to be rushed through

with your eyes fixed only on the destination.

Some of life's sweetest gifts

wait quietly in the spaces

between the arriving and the leaving.

Take the wrong turn.

Taste something you've never tasted.

Stop where there was never a plan to stop.

Let curiosity lead for once,

like a wildflower blooming exactly where it pleases,

untamed and unapologetic.

A good friend can be a kind of sunlight.

The kind that spills into tired corners,

fills your cells with warmth and goodness,

tops up your spirit until you feel lighter,

softer,

brimming once more with laughter,

wonder,

and creativity.

There is a particular magic

in sharing a place you love

with someone seeing it for the very first time.

Suddenly the familiar becomes extraordinary.

The lake you've passed a thousand times

shimmers with fresh wonder.

The mountain wears a different face.

The sky seems alive with butterflies.

The forest stirs with faerie wings.

And through their eyes,

you remember how beautiful your own world has been all along.

Travel through different seasons.

Let spring scatter wildflowers at your feet.

Let summer dust your skin with golden evenings.

Let autumn teach you the grace of letting go.

Let winter remind you that rest is also a journey.

Surprise someone.

Show them your favorite road,

your favorite view,

your favorite waterfall hidden between nowhere and somewhere.

You may discover that while you are busy giving wonder away,

it quietly returns to you—

on the flitting wings of a monarch butterfly,

in the scent of pine on a forest path,

in the laughter shared across a table,

in the unexpected joy of being fully present.

The road may not lead where you expected.

Good.

Sometimes the unexpected path

holds beauty greater than anything you could have planned.

Sometimes the journey is the destination.

And sometimes,

when you allow yourself to follow joy,

you find pieces of yourself waiting there.

The pieces you thought were lost,

but were only resting

in a patch of purple along the roadside.

So laugh longer.

Stay for dessert.

Call the friend.

Take the drive.

Pick the wildflowers.

Watch the butterflies.

Order the unfamiliar dish.

Say yes to wonder.

You deserve love.

You deserve fun.

You deserve good friends,

open roads,

new adventures,

and food so delicious

it makes you close your eyes for a moment

and smile.

You deserve a life that feels alive.

And the next beautiful thing

may be waiting just around a bend.

A road you never planned to take,

A friend you never expected to meet,

A memory not yet made.

So wander.

The world is waiting.

And perhaps,

so are you.