9月のテーマ：地図 (Maps)
Up until 3 years ago, the blank pages in the back of my daily planner were filled with maps. Page after page of lines and shapes carefully sketched in an attempt to recreate a path I'd soon be taking. In the days before owning a smartphone, looking up detailed directions in advance before going somewhere new was a must. Not owning a printer, I'd spend a few minutes sketching out a copy of a map I'd found online. A rectangle for the station. A circle is the convenience store on the corner. A square becomes the bank down the road. Does this look accurate enough? I analyze the lines and shapes, tweaking them until I feel confident it's enough to get me there. I snap my planner shut and head for the station closest to my destination.
The moment I exit the station, my map-drawing skills are put to the test and the adventure begins. I guide myself through the streets clutching my planner, relying solely on my sketches of various roads and landmarks. Somewhere in my imagination, I'm an explorer on an adventure, treasure map in hand. Finding every landmark I've sketched down becomes a small victory, as I feel my goal getting closer with every step.
Nowadays, smartphones that tell us our exact location at any given time and follow our every footstep have replaced the need for checking maps in advance, or even any future planning at all. I marvel at how it has become completely natural, expected even, to simply enter the address of where you're going, and let your trusty GPS do the rest. Even if my destination is completely foreign, I often find myself letting my iPhone lead the way entirely.
Of course, there's no denying that such maps have made the hassle of finding a location more convenient than we could have ever imagined. Yet at the same time, I can't help but feel that the slight sense of adventure I felt relying solely on a hand-drawn map in the back of my trusty planner has disappeared. Maybe one of these days, I'll ditch the GPS, and enjoy a little bit of that explorer spirit once again.