Maps...and routes to your destination.

Maps. I have gotten along fairly well in my life without them. I've always looked down at maps as a crutch for people who had no sense of direction, or would forget a route easily. It's not often that I even look at charts when flying. I've always seen maps as something that remains folded in the glove box, just in case. I think I may have taken one out once in the past seven years on the road. But maps aren't just a tool for when you get lost, they can make life easier. The reality, which I most often overlook, is that when a route is planned using a map, one can take their mind off a direction, and what roads are needed, as it's all down on paper. This is a lesson that I recall from flight school, and the fact that I prefer to just “cruise” doesn't make it any less valid. I'm more than willing to admit that.

This year, and most importantly, this summer, has been a process of self-discovery for me. It hasn't been easy, and what I jokingly refer to as the “midlife crisis” has shocked and surprised some. Have I found out what I wanted to know? No, not yet, but I'm on the road. One thing that is for certain is it hasn't been easy without a map, a tool that I usually disdain. Sometimes, simply driving in the direction that you want to go isn't enough. Sometimes you need to have a plan.

That's why my “remarketing” is taking so long, why I seem to alternate between my old self and new. With no plan, and just knowing that I need to make changes in my life, it takes time. No roadmap means a meandering path to where I need to be, and it has taken months, and could perhaps take years before I finally determine who I am. Will I still be the old Dan next year at this time? Probably not, one way or the other. This may all seem a little introspective, but vacation has given me some time to think.

So...things have changed. Will I get in a plane again? Probably at some point. The bike has certainly been fun so far, if a little left field of where I usually sit. A little more and less risk all at the same time. Tomorrow, I'm off on my first real tour, the low cost vacation that being in the working class forces on me. Will it be fun? Certainly. I'll be leaving here armed with my digital camera and a healthy sense of adventure, touring through a dozen towns and cities. It promises to be interesting. Will I learn anything about myself? Maybe, but maybe not...but it's the journey that counts. Maybe I'll even bring a map. But even if I don't, I'll get there anyway, it'll just take a little longer.