You may have struggled with your bearings when trying to find a new place. How you choose to see this kind of journey relates to how you view your instincts and the possible intervention of invisible help.

When I was driving alone to my first cultural choir practice in Melbourne, I had to travel quite a distance from where I live. I expected to drive about 45 minutes to an hour in each direction of my destination. I had thought I mapped out the route through highways and freeways, but as I was approaching the Westgate Bridge, traffice became heavy. I sensed I'd missed a crucial turn.  My body become tense in four lanes meeting three more. I instinctively turned into the Shell Gas Station right before crossing the wrong bridge. Repeated experience has taught me service station cashiers in the area aren't often helpful for directions. I had my Melways book of city maps and made efforts to get my bearings yet without success. 

Next, I chose to get out of the car and approach a man who sat in his car drinking coffee. You ever get the chance that someone is waiting for you? Whether or not this was the case, he was able to direct me how to get back on the Monash Freeway, retrace my steps and take another bridge. Now this might seem like an overly logical thing, to ask a stranger a question and get back on track. So what if he was wearing leiderhosen on a hot day. Okay, it's not everyone who wears leather shorts with suspenders. I was thankful to reach my destination and join a group that reconnects me to my cultural roots.  Male members don't typically wear leiderhosen, but short pants with socks are actually part of the men's native costume.

Well, the night after my lost experience, a key dream led me to retrace my steps with a twist. I was driving in the wrong direction, but what was different was a hazy older man and woman dressed in ethnic costume sat (or rather, floated) in the back seat of my car. I could hear them speaking in a foreign language and about whether they would give me a hint about my incorrect judgment.  I sensed they disagreed about how I would use my resourcefulness to get to where I desired to go.  Then, I had a flashback to when I was driving home from the practice. The couple was again still in the back of the car and they had no reflection in my rearview mirror. When I felt uncertain about which exit to take returning on the Bolte bridge, I had this sudden hunch and took the proper left turn.  In the dream, I heard a chuckle in the back seat.  Were these some of my ancestors? Maybe. This dream was far more intriguing than those I've had hovering above my physical body, watching myself make mistakes on school tests that I had already written and couldn't change.