Thanks for your comments Andrea. I remember your lovely Airedale! She was the first of her breed I had ever met and she was a charmer. I can imagine the dread you must have felt, and the HUGE relief to see her sitting there waiting patiently for her family to collect her. Whew!
Growing up one doesn't always understand how different one's own childhood is from any others. I knew not having siblings was different to many, but that I was independent and self-sufficient didn't seem notable, or thinking that unexpected events were something to be fearful of. My mother always called those events things that 'built our character'. It started as kind of as a joke, but I guess she was right in more ways than I could have imagined!
Another fabulous post. As others have said, you were so calm, smart, and savvy to figure out what to do. Independent, smart, and capable at a very early age.
It's also remarkable that your mother put you on a bus with strangers and without an adult to go far away to Disneyland. Of course that was totally reasonable then but I don't know any parents who would do such a thing now. Nonetheless, I'm very impresed with your skills.
I don't remember getting seriously lost. The closest memory that I have conjuring up the feeling is when by mistake we left our Airedale at Bolinas beach. Somehow we packed up and left without her. When we realized she wasn't with us, the feeling of dread and fear sent my parents racing back to the beach in the yellow Ford station wagon. And you know that cars don't race very fast in Bolinas. There she was sitting on the beach waiting for us. That's the parental relief that Martha mentioned. It was immense.
Golly, Sabrina! How brave and collected you were. I think my heart would have been pounding once I knew I'd been separated from the group.
I can't recall ever having been lost - not even when travelling solo across Europe and Asia and wandering the tiny backstreets of places like Hong Kong and Bangkok.
But here's a thought: there's lost and then there's 'lost', isn't there? And I'm pretty sure I have been at least one of them a few times in my life. Maybe that's a post for another day...
I would LOVE to hear your stories about getting 'lost' or LOST! Like you, I've travelled a bit and getting misplaced is part of the journey, so it doesn't often feel threatening. And it's only an annoyance when I am actually trying to get somewhere by a certain time. Otherwise, it is all part of the traveling journey!
I have gotten properly and worryingly lost in the backcountry mountains once when I was backpacking with friends, and got so far behind I couldn't see them and then lost the trail. I eventually remembered to stay put, find something bright to show where I was, and did a lot of calming breaths. Eventually they came back and found me, and all was eventually fine. We ended the evening around the campfire, reciting long-form poems we had memorised years before, whilst the stars unveiled their brilliant glory across the Milky Way above. It was especially magical to be NOT lost by myself, and instead with two wonderful and dear lifelong friends.
I read your post with a bit of envy. As the eldest child in my family, I felt I could do anything alone. Your travels made perfect sense to me. The envy was that your mother trusted you and sent you off on a grand adventure. My family did a "one-day, see all the Hawaiian islands in a small plane tour". We only saw two islands including flying into a volcano crater on the Big island. I remember saying, "Mom, look at that!" only to turn around to see her covering her eyes with one hand and gripping the arm rest with another. The breaking point was when my dad and sister got air sick. The plane had to make a special stop back in Oahu to drop us off. I begged my parents to let me contiue the tour and finish seeing the rest of the islands. After all, I was a grown up nine year old. Nope. I had to go back to the hotel with them.
Oh goodness, that was a full-on adventure!!! With the whole family no less! I'm sorry you didn't get to finish the tour that day. I'm happy knowing that at least you have been able to return to Hawaii more recently, and enjoy the balm that is found there. Thanks for sharing your story!
This is such a great account Sabrina! I agree with Prue that you were amazingly calm when you switched groups and enjoyed the rest of Disneyland with them - I don’t know that I could have been as in the moment as you were...and this also makes me think (with my “mom” hat on) about how your mother must have felt when you finally made it back to the hotel. Relieved doesn’t even begin to touch it!
This also brings back fond memories of going to Disneyland with my family when I was 8 or 9...what a magical place I found it! And it also makes me think of a recent experience this past summer with a hiking group here in Rochester where I got lost both from John AND the hiking group (separately) due to a combination of circumstances. Let’s just say that cell phones were our savior, and thinking back to a time where there was no internet, not to mention cell phones, seems almost impossible to fathom. Thank you again Sabrina for generating all of these interesting memories!
I'm so happy to hear it gave you a chance to relive good memories of Disneyland! And so sorry to hear you were misplaced this summer. Electronic connection has changed so much about how we move through the world, hasn't it? I get a bit sad when I see people walking around navigating with their heads down rather than with heads up, seeing what is around them. Of course that is one of the reasons I get lost more often now, because I try to memorise the route instead of checking often where I am...🤪.
Completely agree that walking with head down and eyes glued to a device is the LEAST appealing method of walking! I continue to be a great fan of paper/physical maps, and also would like to do more of the types of excursions you’ve described taking which involve exploring an area in general without being totally destination driven.
I also wondered when I was reading the other posts above if you and Prue might be venturing into posts which described being (or feeling) not just physically lost, but metaphorically “lost.” But that might be taking on a REALLY different tangent! 😂
Sorry! Typing on a train....I was saying: wondering where in the world I am waking up! Or just now, listening to an American voiced podcast, and looking up wondering where I am (Portsmouth Harbour!). Good ideas Martha, thanks!
Ha! That would be quite a can of worms to open: the feeling of being lost. I get moments of that when I am moving from place to place and wake up each morning and have to really think hard about where am
Thanks for your comments Andrea. I remember your lovely Airedale! She was the first of her breed I had ever met and she was a charmer. I can imagine the dread you must have felt, and the HUGE relief to see her sitting there waiting patiently for her family to collect her. Whew!
Growing up one doesn't always understand how different one's own childhood is from any others. I knew not having siblings was different to many, but that I was independent and self-sufficient didn't seem notable, or thinking that unexpected events were something to be fearful of. My mother always called those events things that 'built our character'. It started as kind of as a joke, but I guess she was right in more ways than I could have imagined!
Another fabulous post. As others have said, you were so calm, smart, and savvy to figure out what to do. Independent, smart, and capable at a very early age.
It's also remarkable that your mother put you on a bus with strangers and without an adult to go far away to Disneyland. Of course that was totally reasonable then but I don't know any parents who would do such a thing now. Nonetheless, I'm very impresed with your skills.
I don't remember getting seriously lost. The closest memory that I have conjuring up the feeling is when by mistake we left our Airedale at Bolinas beach. Somehow we packed up and left without her. When we realized she wasn't with us, the feeling of dread and fear sent my parents racing back to the beach in the yellow Ford station wagon. And you know that cars don't race very fast in Bolinas. There she was sitting on the beach waiting for us. That's the parental relief that Martha mentioned. It was immense.
Golly, Sabrina! How brave and collected you were. I think my heart would have been pounding once I knew I'd been separated from the group.
I can't recall ever having been lost - not even when travelling solo across Europe and Asia and wandering the tiny backstreets of places like Hong Kong and Bangkok.
But here's a thought: there's lost and then there's 'lost', isn't there? And I'm pretty sure I have been at least one of them a few times in my life. Maybe that's a post for another day...
I would LOVE to hear your stories about getting 'lost' or LOST! Like you, I've travelled a bit and getting misplaced is part of the journey, so it doesn't often feel threatening. And it's only an annoyance when I am actually trying to get somewhere by a certain time. Otherwise, it is all part of the traveling journey!
I have gotten properly and worryingly lost in the backcountry mountains once when I was backpacking with friends, and got so far behind I couldn't see them and then lost the trail. I eventually remembered to stay put, find something bright to show where I was, and did a lot of calming breaths. Eventually they came back and found me, and all was eventually fine. We ended the evening around the campfire, reciting long-form poems we had memorised years before, whilst the stars unveiled their brilliant glory across the Milky Way above. It was especially magical to be NOT lost by myself, and instead with two wonderful and dear lifelong friends.
You described that so beautifully.
I'll jot down a 'lost' post for the future for myself - inspired by Lost in LA.
I read your post with a bit of envy. As the eldest child in my family, I felt I could do anything alone. Your travels made perfect sense to me. The envy was that your mother trusted you and sent you off on a grand adventure. My family did a "one-day, see all the Hawaiian islands in a small plane tour". We only saw two islands including flying into a volcano crater on the Big island. I remember saying, "Mom, look at that!" only to turn around to see her covering her eyes with one hand and gripping the arm rest with another. The breaking point was when my dad and sister got air sick. The plane had to make a special stop back in Oahu to drop us off. I begged my parents to let me contiue the tour and finish seeing the rest of the islands. After all, I was a grown up nine year old. Nope. I had to go back to the hotel with them.
Oh goodness, that was a full-on adventure!!! With the whole family no less! I'm sorry you didn't get to finish the tour that day. I'm happy knowing that at least you have been able to return to Hawaii more recently, and enjoy the balm that is found there. Thanks for sharing your story!
This is such a great account Sabrina! I agree with Prue that you were amazingly calm when you switched groups and enjoyed the rest of Disneyland with them - I don’t know that I could have been as in the moment as you were...and this also makes me think (with my “mom” hat on) about how your mother must have felt when you finally made it back to the hotel. Relieved doesn’t even begin to touch it!
This also brings back fond memories of going to Disneyland with my family when I was 8 or 9...what a magical place I found it! And it also makes me think of a recent experience this past summer with a hiking group here in Rochester where I got lost both from John AND the hiking group (separately) due to a combination of circumstances. Let’s just say that cell phones were our savior, and thinking back to a time where there was no internet, not to mention cell phones, seems almost impossible to fathom. Thank you again Sabrina for generating all of these interesting memories!
I'm so happy to hear it gave you a chance to relive good memories of Disneyland! And so sorry to hear you were misplaced this summer. Electronic connection has changed so much about how we move through the world, hasn't it? I get a bit sad when I see people walking around navigating with their heads down rather than with heads up, seeing what is around them. Of course that is one of the reasons I get lost more often now, because I try to memorise the route instead of checking often where I am...🤪.
Completely agree that walking with head down and eyes glued to a device is the LEAST appealing method of walking! I continue to be a great fan of paper/physical maps, and also would like to do more of the types of excursions you’ve described taking which involve exploring an area in general without being totally destination driven.
I also wondered when I was reading the other posts above if you and Prue might be venturing into posts which described being (or feeling) not just physically lost, but metaphorically “lost.” But that might be taking on a REALLY different tangent! 😂
Sorry! Typing on a train....I was saying: wondering where in the world I am waking up! Or just now, listening to an American voiced podcast, and looking up wondering where I am (Portsmouth Harbour!). Good ideas Martha, thanks!
Ha! That would be quite a can of worms to open: the feeling of being lost. I get moments of that when I am moving from place to place and wake up each morning and have to really think hard about where am