Life is full of unexpected surprises. There are so many opportunities when one can secretly wish for something exciting to happen something out of the ordinary. The real surprise happens when the wish unexpectedly comes true. I never believed that anything like this could ever happen to me; something that would make me stop and look back at the events in awe. I think you would agree that something as simple as being lost in the forest for less than ten minutes should have any influence on my life. If you do agree, then both of us are wrong.
Throughout my childhood, I loved the wild. My family and I would always go for a walk in the downtown forest of Coote’s Paradise. There were times where I thought of what could happen if we lost our way from the trail and lived off of the land until we found our way back to civilization. I thought it would be the greatest experience ever.
As my brother and I grew older, we continued to go on these walks with our parents but the dreams of living in the forest were soon forgotten. That’s when it actually happened. We decided to take a different path off the main trail. Before I knew it, the path had disappeared and no one in my family could tell where we had come from. It was so unexpected. I was so excited that it can’t be described. Everything in the forest seemed different. The trees were a deeper shade of green. The birds chirped in a different tone. Vines covered almost every inch of the ground. One part of me never wanted this moment to end. I felt completely free from the stress of life, outside the woods. It was at this moment I realized that I would much rather stay here for the rest of my life than go back to society.
I think another reason why I felt carefree was that my parents did not panic. They took the situation under control and headed for any open area in the hope to find a map (many of these maps were found throughout the ground, telling you where you were). From my point of view, at the time, it seemed as if they were excited as I was about losing our way. In the end, it only took ten minutes for my parents to find such a map and we were back on the trail in no time.
An experience like this made me think about my place in life. I’m the kind of person who loves seeking out adventures. When we were lost, I realized that I had everything. I would ever need. My parents always support me in everything I do. This experience made me realize that families need to stick together; you don’t realize how much you need them until, for a moment, you realize that they are the last people you will see for the rest of your life.
It’s incredible how a simple thing like being lost in a forest for ten minutes could affect your outlook on life. Things like not being able to find your way back to where you came from make you appreciate the little things in life. Looking back to that day, I now realize that it was fate. Moments like those are few and far between and should be taken as a lesson. Surprises like there were, and always will be, an unexpected gift of all.
