The detour you never planned might show you a street you’d never find on the main road.

Plans narrow your attention by design, which is useful right up until the plan breaks. An unplanned route is often the only way you would ever meet certain things, because nothing in your intentions was pointing at them. That does not make disruption welcome. It does mean the interruption is worth a look before you rush back to the original line.

The next time something knocks you off course, pause long enough to notice what is in front of you that would not have been. Ask a question you would not otherwise have asked. Then choose where to go next.