When my husband and I lived in Pasadena in the late 1980s, we decided to take a Saturday trip to see the Queen Mary (a fancy ship, not a person) that was permanently moored in Long Beach, California. These were the days before GPS and long before smartphones with maps applications. We had a couple of paper maps, and that’s what we used to find our way. Everything worked great until we decided to try another route home, one that looked more direct and shorter.

Our map showed that the 710 freeway (also called the Long Beach Freeway) would end right at Pasadena. Since this was our first trip to Long Beach, we hadn’t had the opportunity to use the 710 before. So we jumped on the 710 headed north late that night, my husband driving while I navigated using a flashlight and our paper map. When we started seeing signs that the freeway would end, we were worried. And when the freeway ended, we found ourselves in south central Los Angeles, somewhere near Alhambra.

Because my husband has an “internal GPS,” that rare ability to sense what direction is north and where we need to go, we made it to Pasadena. Later I found out that the 710 was supposed to extend to Pasadena when the project began in the 1960s, but due to community opposition, it was never finished. Apparently, my map publisher didn’t get the memo.

This made me think about how we navigate life. We’re given “maps” to follow from our families, culture, education, and experiences. If the map you’re following contains wrong information, you won’t get where you want to go. You might even end up someplace that’s a little scary. We rarely stop to think about our maps, trusting the sources without discerning whether or not a map is actually accurate or right for us. As we head into 2022, take a look at the maps that you use to navigate your life. Make sure you’re not on the 710 headed to Pasadena because I can assure you, you won’t get there.