Many of us have our lives planned out — sketched into a mental map of our future, with all its goals and ambitions.

Path and plan are our translation of the future and all it may be.

It’s an odyssey — journeying through college, sailing along with the voyage of life.

It feels as if you are at the helm, captain of the ship, free of strife.

But often the mantle is dismantled — washing away all notion of direction.

New opportunities appear on the horizon; storms ruffle once quiet waters and rocks bar the way, forcing reflection.

No journey ever existed without the journey itself. That mental map of ours isn’t teleportation, but initiation.

While you may be forced off course, the storm’s gray clouds do have silver linings. One wave crashes and hits the next, eventually making it to shore.

The twists and turns of the helm, the change in route — while uncertain, they will lead to new discovery.

Take the waves as they crash into the ship and adjust your sails accordingly. Don’t fear the wind that swipes the map from your grip. You’ll draw a new one.

But before you plot your reroute, make sure to scout ahead and perhaps add a new stop — even if you’re not quite sure what you’ll find.

There are many more places to anchor than we initially realize, many more treasure chests to find and even more ways to get there.

The wind and the wave just might lead you to the path you didn’t know you wanted, or the trove you didn’t know existed, even if you may have to endure a little time lost at sea.