Being in the moment has almost become a cliché, but practicing it is rarely boring – especially where I live. Autumn takes over the city of Montreal like a mad abstract painter, creating new tableaus in every direction you look. But do you look? And when you look, do you truly see?

Like most people, I am often madly dashing to work and appointments and rarely have the time to actually stroll and savor. Sound familiar? When was the last time you made it your priority to stop and just be where you are rather than concentrating on where you’re going?

I’ve gotten several friends in trouble doing precisely this – enjoying the moment rather than focusing on the destination, although it’s always important to make sure you know how to get to where you’re going! Allow me to share a fun adventure on just this topic.

A close friend and I were driving to Ottawa one late autumn evening for a dinner party and, as we had done several times before, we’d given ourselves roughly two hours to arrive there. We often used this time to catch up on our respective lives and to discuss a wide variety of topics. This evening in particular I had a strong urge to get off the beaten path (highway actually) and find a less traveled road. I asked my friend if he felt so inclined and in less than a minute we were off the highway, charting a new course.

I should preface this decision with the fact that neither of us had any idea of any alternative routes to Ottawa, but that didn’t stop us. Since it was already dark, we stopped to pick up a couple of supplies, including a full tank of gas, just in case. The gas station was near a lovely stretch of road surrounded by bulrushes and wild grass, and I had fun snapping some portraits in this moving dark landscape of mystery. They were beautiful souvenirs.

Back on the road we were determined to discover an alternative route and ended up on some very desolate roads with nothing and no one in sight: we had arrived in the middle of nowhere. At just this intersection, we happened upon a building that looked somewhat like a funeral home. Intrigued, we pulled up into the parking lot to discover that it was actually a pub! It was such an isolated location; it was as though it had risen up out of the ground. We saw a couple of parked cars and some lights on and looked at each other, and both decided that we just had to see what this place was all about.

Once through the main door, a man suddenly appeared and directed us down a set of stairs into what looked like a basement. I turned to my friend; we both smiled a “curiosity killed the cat” grin, and proceeded down the steps into the unknown. Much to our surprise, rather than a bunker we walked into an authentic English pub! Who would have ever thought we would find one of these in the middle of we didn’t know where? Of course we had to stop for a pint of beer and a good laugh before heading back on the road.