Nativity Catholic Church
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Sometimes You'd Just Like a
Map Sitting out in front of one of my favorite restaurants along St. Armand’s Circle on Lido Key, just across the shore from the city of Sarasota, I’m amused by the tourists (I consider myself a “local visitor” since I know my way around the place as if I’ve lived there all my life) who are gawking at the over head signs marking out the plethora of restaurant and retail opportunities awaiting them—if only they could figure out exactly where they were in this maze of dining and shopping madness! You see, St. Armand’s Circle is just that—a circle—but along that “circle” are streets and alleys and crossovers that defy direction to the uninitiated. After awhile (as is the case with most retail options nowadays) all the shops and eateries begin to look alike, and it’s hard to tell where you are now or where you began your trek. The sheer number of establishments, along with the crowded sidewalks, does not make for easy navigating. I giggled to myself as I watched sun-burnt families—parents looking like dazed lobsters about to be plunged into their boiling demise and children wondering what all this has to do with a vacation to the beach—aimlessly wandering, bumping into equally disoriented travelers, and secretly worrying about where they’ve parked their SUV (you know, the same rental everyone else has loaded down with beach inflatables). As I chuckle at the mass of people and cars spinning around the seemingly never-ending circle, the scene from National Lampoon’s European Vacation comes to mind, as I picture the Griswold family driving from dawn till dark around the same roundabout in Italy! Some of the folks, who have traveled to Sarasota from all over the globe, seem to enjoy the confusion. I suppose that part of the excitement and adventure comes from all the aimless wandering and leisurely strolling, not sure where one’s steps might lead. And then there are those who clearly want to know where the map to the place can be found—anxiously more interested in precise navigation rather than adventure. (Oh yes, there are maps for St. Armand’s, but since the print is so small and the businesses change fairly regularly, they aren’t much help.) Watching the crowds as I nosh on a delectable crab cake, I think about St. Armand’s as a microcosm of our human journey. Sometimes we enjoy the thrill of adventure and the not-knowing-where-we’re-going approach to our days. We contend that if every moment of every day were exactly mapped out for us, we’d be living a robotic life, not one fit for God’s beloved creations. The excitement of unplanned people and places that show up in our journey make for wanting to wake up and do it all over again tomorrow and the next day. Yet I also realize that my journey, our journey, is filled with many unwanted and unwelcome surprises, lots of twists and turns that are frightening, confusing, and distressing. While I relish the days of adventure, there are others where sometimes I’d just like a map. The map wouldn’t have to be so detailed as to illustrate every move I’m making or about to make, but at least there’d be some way of knowing if I’m still headed in the right direction, or the way back after I stray from the path and start getting anxious. There are moments when the wander-lust gives way to simply wanting a clear, unadulterated road to follow, one that guides me toward the goals I’ve set, the expectations that are reasonable in carrying out my job, the best way to muddle through a conflict, the sanest way to navigate an unforeseen disaster. There are days I’d just like a map so that I can find some assurance in the journey, especially when the eyes get bleary and the heart grows weak. If your days are anything like mine, I’m sure you may find a little tug of war going on between the carefree enthusiasm of staking out on some uncharted adventure that life throws at you, and the uneasiness that comes with losing the way or wondering whether there even is a “way” at all. For now, it’s just me, the crab cake and a whole host of folks bumping and gazing, tripping and laughing, gawking and strolling around a circle that looks very much like life in general. Sometimes it’s nice to have a map…and sometimes that would make for nothing else but a boring day.
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