Peanuts In My Pocket

“What is the size of your map?” – I think about this question a lot these days. I’m interested in how easy it is to limit the size of your map—the areas you travel and explore—to just your city and surrounding areas. Then just your city, neighborhood, house, and ultimately, just a room or two. My map shrank when I retired. I used to travel around the Greater Southern California Metro Area as if it were my backyard. Its 13 million people and 184 cities offered endless exploration opportunities. Since retiring, I rarely leave the area around my city. My map is much smaller, and it bothers me.

There are many ways to increase the size of your map, including travel to other regions, states, or countries. I’ve been to Waco, Texas, twice since retiring and had a chance to explore the city. Trips to exotic locations like Waco help, but they are not what I’m concerned with. I am concerned with my daily map. How far do I travel afield where I live? Unfortunately, the answer is not far. On a weekly basis, it’s a small list of cities.

I enlisted Google Maps to help. It started with my last visit to Waco. I began mapping locations I had visited. That led me to think I could use the tool for more use cases. My family is interested in escape rooms, so I built a map of all known instances within an hour’s drive of my area. This got me thinking, I could build a map of the places I’ve visited in each city in my region. I’ve always wanted to say that I’ve visited each of the 34 cities in Orange County. Honestly, I’m not sure I even know all of their names.

My rules are simple. To count, I must drive the streets of the city. No freeway drive-throughs allowed. I must also visit something in the city, be it a park, a restaurant, a museum, or some other cultural or business-related site. I’m not interested in history, so nothing from before my retirement date is allowed. My goal is to push the boundaries of my map and to find reasons to visit a city like Villa Park or San Clemente.

I fear the map shrinking. I saw it with my mom after my dad passed. I see the same thing now with my mother-in-law, who, without family and friends, would pass the day watching TV. I’m proud of her. At 90, she just recently flew across the country to see her brother in New York. Pushing the boundaries of the map is one way to keep the end at bay. Or, at the very least, to make life slightly more interesting.

What do you do to grow your map?