Where are you heading?

We have been walking for weeks. Those that chose our route have made every effort to find paths off the hard road surfaces. Tonight, we arrived at a house and the hostess was saying – no, the road that you are walking is not the original road. The original roads were in straight lines. They were the Roman roads. The Romans walked a shorter distance. And she’s right.

We’ve been on stretches of Roman roads as we’ve walked, but often we’re winding our way along. The winding paths are beautiful, but there are times that I have taken the shortcut because there seems little point in meandering when I could be making progress.

The thing is modern pilgrims often find the long straight paths boring. Not me!! Those are my favourite parts! I love the ancient pathways.

The other day I received an email talking about the maps that we make in our thinking. I’ve been thinking about the concept of maps. We all have a way of dealing with things as they happen. Some of those routes work really well for us and others are outdated. The thing for us to consider is where does our map lead us?

On my current travels, whether I follow the ancient paths, the meandering directions or just take a shortcut, I am heading in the right direction. I am following a map; I know where I will end up.

The question is, where does our thinking lead us? Are you confident that you are heading where you want to go?

Take notice when you’re on autopilot, where do you end up? Where do your thoughts go? Do you end up telling yourself off? Wallowing in self-pity? Mulling over what you didn’t do or over what someone else did?

Okay, you’ve started to notice a pattern. Now consider, is that where you want to end up all the time or do you need to update your map?

The thing with maps is that each of us is different and we will benefit from different ways of doing things. I like to arrive somewhere or to tick something off my list. I like the straight path. Others love the beauty and the ease on the joints of the softer, meandering paths. Still others are on bicycles and need level, or even ground to be able to navigate well.

In saying that, life is not direct. It often incorporates both the meandering and the moments of progress. I have learnt to appreciate the beauty beside the rivers and in the woods and be thankful for the times that the road straightens and I can make good progress. I have learnt when my feet are sore that I can follow the cycling route and I’ll generally be on a more even footing.

If you are following an outdated map that leads you somewhere that you don’t want to go, you can change the map.

Where do you actually want to end up? Allow yourself to think about that – not from escapism and wishful thinking but imagining positive change. Is there someone that reacts differently from you and that inspires you?

Where your internal map leads to is where you are heading.

If I wanted to get somewhere different today, I would literally enter a different location into my phone and it would pull up a new map to tell me how to get there. Sometimes I do that for fun, sometimes I do that just to find out how far away a place is. But sometimes I mean it. Sometimes I pull up that destination and I move towards it.

You can learn different ways of dealing with things. You can go a different way. Talk to those who have been that way already so that you can find out what it’s like. If it’s appropriate, ask them to come along until you get more comfortable on the new route.

You’ll have your preferences. Perhaps you like things level and even because you can lose your balance like a cyclist. Choose a route that caters for your needs. Also, be aware that the road is not always going to be level and even. There will be parts when even the cyclists are on softer ground beside a river, through a field or under the trees. When that happens, take moments to lift your eyes and appreciate the beauty on this part of the path. Soon enough you will be back to the part specifically for cyclists.

Perhaps you are heading the right direction but things have changed for you. Perhaps your feet are sore and you need to meander on soft paths taking in the beauty or take the cycling track for a while. What does it look like for you to update your map?

Maps nowadays are not just about where you’re going, they’re also about how you get there.

Life will throw you curveballs and the road won’t always turn out as you expected, but when you update your map to the most up to date version for your needs, you can be sure that even if this bit is tricky, you’re not stuck here. Keep moving, even if it is one slippery step at a time and you will find that you’re still making progress toward your destination – even in the messy bits.

The Romans had straight roads because their aim was to move quickly from point A to point B. Now the roads navigate around farms or woods or pass through a town that has some kind of service available: perhaps a bakery or some historical point of interest. Our maps are different to what they would have been back then.

We could use those old maps and fight to keep in a straight line, or we can update our map to the roads and paths available to us today and enjoy the moments when we have the chance to make faster progress.

I have had my fair share of messy bits on this journey, but tomorrow, I will arrive at my current destination. I’ll be pausing then. It’s too late in the season to cross the Swiss Alps. I’ll make a mark on the map and come back to this spot when I’m ready to embark on the next part of my journey. For now, I am going to celebrate the milestone that I have reached.

Is your current map leading you where you want to go? What does an update look like in your situation? Pause and place a mark on your current map so that you can come back to this point if you want to. In the meantime, explore a new destination and find out how to get there.