The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘wander’ as moving slowly or leisurely away from a fixed point or place.
While the dictionary defines ‘wandering’ as aimless, that can have negative connotations. Many people use the term ‘wander’ in a more positive manner relating to exploring, travelling and discovering.
Helen Keller said that life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. We need to wander at some point in our lives. Use the aimlessness to clear our heads and explore things we may not have before; to discover new and beautiful aspects of the world and ourselves.
One of the most famous quotes about wandering is from JRR Tolkien’s poem, All That is Gold Does Not Glitter, which was written as a part of his fantasy novels, Lord of the Rings. In the poem he says that not all who wander are lost. Sometimes a little bit of wandering is necessary.
Here is the full poem:
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
