<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is something comforting about a map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A map tells us where we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It tells us where we are going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It shows us the roads, the turns, the distances and, if we are lucky, even where we can stop for coffee along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life would be considerably easier if it came with one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little folded map tucked into our pocket with a bright red circle saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
YOU ARE HERE.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And another one somewhere in the distance saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n DON\u2019T WORRY. EVERYTHING WORKS OUT OVER HERE.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wouldn\u2019t that be lovely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But life rarely gives us the whole map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes it only gives us the next few metres of road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And perhaps that has to be enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of us are quite good at making plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We make lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We set dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We imagine how things will happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And after that, everything will finally make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is comfort in knowing what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But sometimes life takes our carefully drawn map, folds it up, puts it somewhere we cannot find it and says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just keep going.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That can be frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Especially when you have already made a big decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may know that something in your life needs to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may have already taken the first step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you have left something behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you have started again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you are waiting for an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you are standing at the beginning of something you have wanted for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet you still don’t know exactly what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That little space between where you were<\/strong> and where you are going<\/strong> can feel incredibly uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because there is no map for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We often mistake uncertainty for being lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They aren’t the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being uncertain simply means there are things you cannot see yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe the road turns just beyond where you are standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe there is something around the corner that you could never have planned for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe the answer you are waiting for hasn’t arrived yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe the next part of your story simply hasn’t happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That doesn’t mean you are going in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It just means you are travelling through a part of the journey that hasn’t revealed itself yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And maybe we don’t always need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe not knowing what comes next doesn’t mean you are lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it simply means the next part of your story hasn’t happened yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the whole journey feels too big, make it smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t solve next month today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t carry next week’s worries in today’s suitcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the next thing I can do?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe today you pack one box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you make one phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you send the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you write the email you have been avoiding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you make the appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you finally begin the thing you have been talking yourself out of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And sometimes the next step is much quieter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drink some water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have something to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try again tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not every step has to be impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some steps simply keep us moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And those count too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is another thing maps don’t always tell us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes the road changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The destination you once thought you wanted may no longer feel right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A door may close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another may unexpectedly open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something you were certain would happen may not happen at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And something you never planned for may become one of the best chapters of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Changing direction does not mean you failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking longer does not mean you failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stopping to rest does not mean you failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting again certainly does not mean you failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life isn’t a race along one perfectly marked road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a journey filled with detours, unexpected stops, wrong turns, beautiful discoveries and occasionally standing somewhere wondering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n How on earth did I end up here?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps some of the places that change us most are places we never intended to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe that is what we need to remember when life feels uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t need enough courage for the entire journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You only need enough for today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t need every answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You only need the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t need to know exactly where you will be six months from now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You only need to know what matters right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we exhaust ourselves trying to live tomorrow before tomorrow has even arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We pack imaginary suitcases filled with problems that haven’t happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We rehearse conversations that may never take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We solve situations that don’t yet exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And suddenly today’s little suitcase is impossibly heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps we can unpack some of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow can carry tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today already has enough luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you are standing somewhere today without the whole map, wondering what happens next, you are not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t need to have everything figured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t need to know exactly how the story ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t even need to see very far ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look for the next little piece of road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rest when you need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Change direction when you need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask for help when the suitcase gets heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice the sunshine along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And trust that more of the road will appear when you get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe one day you will look back and realize something beautiful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The map was being drawn while you were walking it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until then, carry what you need for today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leave a little room for the unexpected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And always save a pocket for hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep Packing Sunshine. \u2600\ufe0f<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is something comforting about a map. A map tells us where we are. It tells us where we are going. It shows us the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[88,86,87,85],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sunshine-suitcases-blog","tag-life-goals","tag-life-map","tag-motivation","tag-sunshine-suitcases"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions\/266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunshinesuitcases.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}We Like Knowing What Comes Next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Not Knowing Doesn’t Mean You Are Lost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Just Find the Next Step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You Are Allowed to Change the Route<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carry What You Need for Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Keep Going<\/h2>\n\n\n\n