"Discoveries are often made by...going off the main road, by trying
the untried." -Frank Tyger
the untried." -Frank Tyger
Yesterday found us with fists full of lava rock, faces grazing a rock wall with a stomach lurching drop off only inches away. This was in no way part of our plans yesterday and of all things it started with a dead end sign.
Now normally we would never recommend that anyone, ever, under any circumstance ignore a road sign. That bit of disclosure done, we’ll acknowledge that dead end signs are really more of a great bit of information; a warning to save a driver potential time and hassle. Dead end signs usually look alike, but they can truly be a “treasure located here” sign; hidden in plain sight. Let me explain…
A couple of years ago we were on what is for us a very typical *let’s go exploring drive*. As the morning turned to afternoon one turn led to another, and then another until we were finally on a road we hadn’t been on before. Always up for a bit of adventure one of us probably said something brilliant like ‘let’s see where this road goes…’ and off we went. After looping in and out of various side streets, little coast hugging neighborhoods and by road side fruit stands for another half hour or so we approached the entrance to a street clearly marked with a dead end sign. I’d like to say we had a hunch we would find paradise at the end of it, but truth is we had been goofing off and not found anything too exciting as yet. Maybe we needed an excuse to see where the road would lead, I don’t know, I just know we decided to see where the dead end ended.
Up the winding, hilly road we went; it soon became apparent that this was no little thing, this dead end road. We drove past home after home, some with vintage surfboards for address markers, others with yet more fruit stands out front boasting simple handmade signs; our instant favorites: honest system, free stuff, & Go Slow.
Curve after curve with ever increasing incline convinced us we were climbing up into the mountainous backside of the nearby coastal cliffs. This was starting to get interesting.
A couple of wide curves later opened our view to a hidden valley. Breathtaking with white ribbon waterfalls in the distance undulating their way down to a rushing stream. We quickly pulled over and stood mouths agape at a view that mixed visions of Land of the Lost, Fantasy Island and Swiss Family Robinson. Snowy white egrets took flight en masse from Chinese Banyan trees across the way from us. Sunlight dappled through perpetually spring green tropical plants and vines. Flaming orange African tulip trees caught our eye even as Plumeria blossoms perfumed the air. This was Eden! Found part way up a dead end road! This little gem was not in any guide book we knew of; from that point the hunt was officially on. After that little foray we were now gunning for undiscovered country, our new motto: give us a dead end road, we’re on it. Trouble is: there are a lot of dead end signs where we are currently sojourning. Good news; lots of potential for discovery. Bad news; lots of old territory to re-cover.
This brings us to today and a few of our recent discoveries….
Now normally we would never recommend that anyone, ever, under any circumstance ignore a road sign. That bit of disclosure done, we’ll acknowledge that dead end signs are really more of a great bit of information; a warning to save a driver potential time and hassle. Dead end signs usually look alike, but they can truly be a “treasure located here” sign; hidden in plain sight. Let me explain…
A couple of years ago we were on what is for us a very typical *let’s go exploring drive*. As the morning turned to afternoon one turn led to another, and then another until we were finally on a road we hadn’t been on before. Always up for a bit of adventure one of us probably said something brilliant like ‘let’s see where this road goes…’ and off we went. After looping in and out of various side streets, little coast hugging neighborhoods and by road side fruit stands for another half hour or so we approached the entrance to a street clearly marked with a dead end sign. I’d like to say we had a hunch we would find paradise at the end of it, but truth is we had been goofing off and not found anything too exciting as yet. Maybe we needed an excuse to see where the road would lead, I don’t know, I just know we decided to see where the dead end ended.
Up the winding, hilly road we went; it soon became apparent that this was no little thing, this dead end road. We drove past home after home, some with vintage surfboards for address markers, others with yet more fruit stands out front boasting simple handmade signs; our instant favorites: honest system, free stuff, & Go Slow.
Curve after curve with ever increasing incline convinced us we were climbing up into the mountainous backside of the nearby coastal cliffs. This was starting to get interesting.
A couple of wide curves later opened our view to a hidden valley. Breathtaking with white ribbon waterfalls in the distance undulating their way down to a rushing stream. We quickly pulled over and stood mouths agape at a view that mixed visions of Land of the Lost, Fantasy Island and Swiss Family Robinson. Snowy white egrets took flight en masse from Chinese Banyan trees across the way from us. Sunlight dappled through perpetually spring green tropical plants and vines. Flaming orange African tulip trees caught our eye even as Plumeria blossoms perfumed the air. This was Eden! Found part way up a dead end road! This little gem was not in any guide book we knew of; from that point the hunt was officially on. After that little foray we were now gunning for undiscovered country, our new motto: give us a dead end road, we’re on it. Trouble is: there are a lot of dead end signs where we are currently sojourning. Good news; lots of potential for discovery. Bad news; lots of old territory to re-cover.
This brings us to today and a few of our recent discoveries….
1. Dead End signs sometimes show up in life via well meaning friends and family. There is a great older post over at Where is Jenny? that both touched our heart and reminded us of some of the things we have come up against as we embraced a different life path than friends or family wanted. Often, doing what is expected of us is counterproductive to the lives we are meant to live and yet those we love most and most long to be in right relationship with are very often the first to throw up a Dead End sign. ‘Don’t go down this road’ they implore, ‘it doesn’t lead anywhere’. Which is code for it doesn’t lead where they want us to go.
It’s going to be potentially painful, but if you want to live the life you were born to live you are going to temporarily, possibly permanently disappoint someone you care for deeply. The sooner you make peace with that fact and drive up the ‘dead end’ the sooner the real Eureka! moments will come. Hug them; let them know you love and appreciate them, and forge ahead! Is it possible you will make mistakes? Its nearly guaranteed. Will you learn from them and maybe even inspire someone else to take the journey? Also nearly guaranteed. Go find a no outlet/no access road anyway and see where it leads.
2. Dead End signs are often placed there by strangers indifferent to your goals and determination to discover all. On this island they pound ‘No Beach Access’ signs into the ground to discourage parking and exploration of beach front property that is coincidently, public access. These quasi protected side roads lead to some of the best views and secluded beaches we've seen, with right out of the movies beauty. If you spot someone in your way; a new coworker, a friend of a friend’s friend, a stranger on a plane looking over the shoulder of your life, go around them. Explore with abandon. Society at large expects you to fall into a pattern of behavior that can lead to mental setbacks, fear of bucking the system and a myriad of *what if* questions. I think you’ll enjoy a post I found just this evening by Raam Dev. about this very subject. Tip the cage, wrest fear into its place, knock the sign down! Often the roads that ‘they’ say lead to nowhere lead to the very best somewhere for you. Thank them for sharing their insight and promptly keep driving, you can always make a U turn.
3. Dead End signs are genuinely put in place to let you know that if your planned destination is not known to be on this stretch of road, you will be turning around. So what. Some of the biggest adventures we’ve had have now been found down a dead end road. The authorities have duly warned you. Explore anyway. Sam Spurlin just started a cross the web series here, that speaks to the need of adventure in our lives. When your done come back up and dig into it, we know you’ll be inspired.
We recently wrote about adventures that wait for those who dare take them, we thought back on that post earlier today: Friends called us this late this afternoon and asked us to come check out this little overlook past a fairly well know landmark. We were enjoying a leisurely snooze on a favorite, quiet beach on the far side of the island from them, but what the heck, adventure seemed to be calling. In short order; lo and behold, we were venturing on to another dead end road. We turned around at the end and whipped in behind their vehicle on the side of a dirty red rutted trail. Within moments we were kissing the cliff side with sheer drops to the jagged rocks below us only inches from our feet. Hmm, maybe we should have thought this through. These friends have a few years on us, so we thought, hey if they can do this with a dog in tow we can and down the rest of the decidedly less easy path we went. Adventure, more breathtaking views nearly at the end of a dead end road. How had we not already been here, done this? We took in incredible waves, sea urchins and tidepools, green sea turtles swimming mere feet away and whales in the distance all for the taking because we got out of the car on a road with an unknown destination. If the authorities; gate keepers, professors, guidance counselors, employers etc tell you 'Keep moving, don’t stop here, nothing to see…' Park the car, ditch it if you have to and see for yourself.
We want to encourage you to follow your dreams. Find your own dead end roads in life and do something about them. It will be worth it. You are far more likely to ask ‘I wonder what is down that road?’ and check it out for yourself when you are willing to take a risk, and far more likely to take the risk if you’ve found your tribe. Keep the friends that say’ keep going’, in fact be the friend that does the same. Better to encourage and be encouraged to follow dreams than to listen to or be a naysayer.
"Dreams should be followed, lives full of adventure lived, revolutions started and dead end road signs blown past." -I said that
Is there a dead end road in an obscure part of town you’ve never turned down? Do it!
As an exercise in risk taking, dream following, and adventure doing hit the road with a friend and see what you can discover past a dead end sign…or twenty.
We’re here to help stretch you, and now you know that we’re all about ignoring prosaic advice from gate keepers, we're giving you a license to go exploring and let us know what you found. Please feel free to connect with us about your dreams and let us know how we can help you start living them out!
It’s going to be potentially painful, but if you want to live the life you were born to live you are going to temporarily, possibly permanently disappoint someone you care for deeply. The sooner you make peace with that fact and drive up the ‘dead end’ the sooner the real Eureka! moments will come. Hug them; let them know you love and appreciate them, and forge ahead! Is it possible you will make mistakes? Its nearly guaranteed. Will you learn from them and maybe even inspire someone else to take the journey? Also nearly guaranteed. Go find a no outlet/no access road anyway and see where it leads.
2. Dead End signs are often placed there by strangers indifferent to your goals and determination to discover all. On this island they pound ‘No Beach Access’ signs into the ground to discourage parking and exploration of beach front property that is coincidently, public access. These quasi protected side roads lead to some of the best views and secluded beaches we've seen, with right out of the movies beauty. If you spot someone in your way; a new coworker, a friend of a friend’s friend, a stranger on a plane looking over the shoulder of your life, go around them. Explore with abandon. Society at large expects you to fall into a pattern of behavior that can lead to mental setbacks, fear of bucking the system and a myriad of *what if* questions. I think you’ll enjoy a post I found just this evening by Raam Dev. about this very subject. Tip the cage, wrest fear into its place, knock the sign down! Often the roads that ‘they’ say lead to nowhere lead to the very best somewhere for you. Thank them for sharing their insight and promptly keep driving, you can always make a U turn.
3. Dead End signs are genuinely put in place to let you know that if your planned destination is not known to be on this stretch of road, you will be turning around. So what. Some of the biggest adventures we’ve had have now been found down a dead end road. The authorities have duly warned you. Explore anyway. Sam Spurlin just started a cross the web series here, that speaks to the need of adventure in our lives. When your done come back up and dig into it, we know you’ll be inspired.
We recently wrote about adventures that wait for those who dare take them, we thought back on that post earlier today: Friends called us this late this afternoon and asked us to come check out this little overlook past a fairly well know landmark. We were enjoying a leisurely snooze on a favorite, quiet beach on the far side of the island from them, but what the heck, adventure seemed to be calling. In short order; lo and behold, we were venturing on to another dead end road. We turned around at the end and whipped in behind their vehicle on the side of a dirty red rutted trail. Within moments we were kissing the cliff side with sheer drops to the jagged rocks below us only inches from our feet. Hmm, maybe we should have thought this through. These friends have a few years on us, so we thought, hey if they can do this with a dog in tow we can and down the rest of the decidedly less easy path we went. Adventure, more breathtaking views nearly at the end of a dead end road. How had we not already been here, done this? We took in incredible waves, sea urchins and tidepools, green sea turtles swimming mere feet away and whales in the distance all for the taking because we got out of the car on a road with an unknown destination. If the authorities; gate keepers, professors, guidance counselors, employers etc tell you 'Keep moving, don’t stop here, nothing to see…' Park the car, ditch it if you have to and see for yourself.
We want to encourage you to follow your dreams. Find your own dead end roads in life and do something about them. It will be worth it. You are far more likely to ask ‘I wonder what is down that road?’ and check it out for yourself when you are willing to take a risk, and far more likely to take the risk if you’ve found your tribe. Keep the friends that say’ keep going’, in fact be the friend that does the same. Better to encourage and be encouraged to follow dreams than to listen to or be a naysayer.
"Dreams should be followed, lives full of adventure lived, revolutions started and dead end road signs blown past." -I said that
Is there a dead end road in an obscure part of town you’ve never turned down? Do it!
As an exercise in risk taking, dream following, and adventure doing hit the road with a friend and see what you can discover past a dead end sign…or twenty.
We’re here to help stretch you, and now you know that we’re all about ignoring prosaic advice from gate keepers, we're giving you a license to go exploring and let us know what you found. Please feel free to connect with us about your dreams and let us know how we can help you start living them out!
