I have a habit of wanting things to make sense.
There should be a reason for doing something. A purpose. Preferably a reasonably efficient way to get from where I am to where I am trying to go.
And most of the time, that works just fine.
But lately, I’ve been thinking there might also be something to be said for the scenic route.
Not necessarily the literal one—although I suppose that counts too.
I mean the things we do that take a little longer than necessary. The interests we follow without knowing where they are going. The projects that start as one thing and quietly become something else entirely.
You could probably get there faster another way.
You could skip a few steps.
You could decide that if something isn’t productive or practical or leading toward a clearly defined outcome, maybe it isn’t worth the time.
But then you might miss something.
Sometimes the scenic route is where you notice what you’re actually interested in.
It’s where one idea leads to another, and then another, until you find yourself somewhere you never would have thought to go on purpose.
It’s where you experiment.
Where you change your mind.
Where you make something just to see if you can.
Where you discover that the thing you thought was a detour was actually part of the trip.
I’ve started to think there should be a society for people who do this.
The Scenic Route Society.
No membership application. No meetings. Certainly no five-year strategic plan.
Just a loose collection of people willing to follow an interesting road every once in a while without demanding to know exactly where it leads.
People who understand that not every worthwhile thing begins with a clear destination.
Sometimes you start because you’re curious.
Sometimes because it sounds fun.
Sometimes because you wonder what would happen if you tried.
And sometimes, somewhere along the way, you realize you’ve found something you weren’t even looking for.
Maybe that’s the unofficial rule of the Scenic Route Society:
You don’t always have to know where something is going to let yourself see where it goes.
Take the long way.
Follow the interesting idea.
Make the unnecessary thing.
Pull over when something catches your attention.
The scenic route may not always be the fastest way forward.
But sometimes, it shows us something we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
And that might be reason enough to take it.
