Humans are explorers.

They leave maps and follow maps and then leave new maps.

Anything can become an exploration for us: an exploration can be an inch wide and a mile deep.

Maps tell us this but not that; they tell us in this way, not that way.

The map I was following a couple of days ago didn’t tell me about the detour of more than twenty five miles!  Admittedly, it would need to be a Harry Potter’s Marauder’s Map to be able to do this.

This same trip could have been represented by many maps: maps which included contours or all the homes where someone called Angela or Friedrich lived.

We also use maps to describe our lives.  I’ve been asked to provide a description in a paragraph of what it is I do, this for an upcoming event.  I’m struggling to do this, so I’m reminding myself this has to be a map which tells this but not that.

You cannot tell me everything about yourself in one description, one map.  When you tell me “I’m only a …,” I hope you don’t believe it.  I hope you know it would take many maps to show me what your life is about.  Not only this, because maps are about what has been discovered, you’re in the process (life) of drawing new maps.

And we can share maps with each other.  Some discoveries you’ve made and recorded on your map can help me continue on a journey; maybe some of mine will help you.