May 22, 2013: Write about road maps.

by emilyfrankenberry

My sister, Melissa, used to want to be cartographer. I think that’s what they call it.  It’s the name for a person who creates maps. Obviously, she did not know the fancy name, but she use to grab scraps of paper, post it notes and gum wrappers and anything she could put a pencil to and draw elaborate scribbles. She then would give these papers to my Mom or Dad and proclaim that this was a map of the world.  It was heart warming and adorable, and beautifully simple. If only the map of the world could fit on a yellow sticky note, think about the travel that would be feasible.

I must admit, I cannot remember the last time I looked at a map for the purpose of travel. With navigation systems and Iphone GPS, I can virtually get anywhere I need to go with the help of TomTom or Siri.   I can take the quickest route, avoid particular highways, and even add the location of a midway restaurant in minutes, insuring that my trip is planned to a T.  It’s a luxury I utilize often, and similarly, would hate to give up.

However, there is something freeing about a map. Ironically, maps afford us with the ability to get lost. It is possible to read a map incorrectly; to venture into a territory you had not expected to see; to take a wrong turn and be challenged in the act of re-routing.  Without a virtual voice repeatedly stating, “Missed Exit” or “Turn around when possible,” getting lost becomes an unpredictable adventure.

Even at a young age, my sister was fixated on the idea of exploration. While she explored the deep crevices of her own youthful imagination, we are capable of exploring the tucked away roads that scatter our country, if only we gain the ability to abandon our innate fear of loss of direction.