Protip: Always have a plan to get to where you're going.

Protip 2: "We'll just drive around until we find it" is not a good plan.

This past Friday night, I treated my girlfriend to a lovely dinner at California Dreaming. We had been to the restaurant before, and I was reasonably confident I could find my way there. As it turns out, I was wrong. Thanks to the power of Google Maps, you can see just how wrong I was. The red line shows the 1.5 mile finale to the journey we should have taken. The blue lines (which cross the Ashley River bridge 4 times, by the way) show the additional 10 miles and 35 minutes we had to add to the trip, thanks to ill-preparation.

After nearly a half hour of driving in circles through the crowded streets of Charleston, I was forced to concede defeat and call Mom for directions. With just one road name, I realized that I was on the wrong side of the river. Within minutes we were in the restaurant's parking lot.

Photo by pseudoflake

There are, I believe, two morals to this tale. First, if you have a date with a beautiful lady, know how to get to the restaurant so as to avoid looking like an ignoramus.

Second, when you travel throughout the paths of life, knowing where you want to go is simply not enough. You have to make the necessary preparations to get there. Having a goal in mind for your life is a good first step, but if you don't work towards that goal, you'll be perpetually lost, metaphorically driving in circles on the wrong side of the river.