Freedom Without Armor

Why wandering returns us to what’s already here

I once followed an arrow on a New York City street just because I could.

No rationale.
No destination.
Just curiosity pulling my feet forward.

Another time, I waited—patiently—in a museum to photograph an old-growth tree. No hurry.
No anxiety.
No internal negotiation about what I should be doing instead.

I could only be where I was.

You can’t outrun now.
It doesn’t chase you.
It simply remains.

Those moments taught me something simple and quietly radical:

I don’t have to everything.
I get to everything.

That distinction changed the texture of my life.

Escape, I’ve learned, is driven by fear, scarcity, and ego.
It’s strategic.
Outcome-bound.
Performance-based.

Even when it looks productive, escape is still a flight from presence.

Wandering is something else entirely.

Wandering is intentional without being rigid.
Experimental without needing proof.
Playful without apology.

It doesn’t ask, Where is this going?
It asks, What is alive right here?

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Wandering doesn’t promise arrival.
It offers presence instead.

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