Wandering

Often on my hikes by myself I will start out on the same trail until I look up and see something and say to myself "I'm going to go to that outcrop." And then I do. When I get there I hike some more until I decide on a new objective and go there.
When I'm on the phone I often go for walks and it is kind of a similar process. I walk straight until I decide I want a change and then at an intersection I will turn and walk straight for another stretch.
On both the mountain and the neighborhood jaunts I mostly go up or out from my initial spot until I decide that I want to turn around and then I wander back in the same fashion.
The wandering isn't exactly random but it certainly isn't planned out before hand with a specific destination in mind.
I was talking to a friend about wandering and how peaceful it is... how it provides a change in pace.

It made me wonder if I'm wandering through life, and I think I am. I think I have a tendency to just go where life takes me, go with the flow, until I see some specific (but short term-ish) destination and then I make for it (a mission, BS, MS) and then I wander some more until I catch sight of another destination that looks intriguing and go for it.
I told someone once that I didn't really know what I wanted and he was skeptical. "And yet you have a Masters," he said. I kind of wanted to respond, "I think that was an accident."
To be fair, it wasn't an accident but it was more of a short term plan rather then a life goal.
And just like my wanders are always up and out (well until I have to turn around) I think my life is pointed in a higher faster direction.
I know this wandering type of life might drive some people insane, or just be utterly unfathomable but I think it works for me. When you do things this way you never know if you'll find mountain goats or bones, new friendships or fascinating facts.