"Ah, yes, a map." said Wanda. "A map to tell you which direction you should go. Well, you know, there's a funny thing about maps. You have to be careful of them. You see, a map is someone's idea of what the world looks like. It's not the actual world. Do you know that some people make maps of places where they have never actually been? And other people make maps of places like rain forests and flower gardens that change from day to day, so a map made last week won't help you today. And sometimes the route one person would take is completely the wrong route for someone else. There is no one way that works for everyone, and no one has ever taken the exact journey you're going to take. So get a bunch of maps and read them, but then make your own decisions about where to go.
The young people thought for a minute, and then one replied, "I suppose you could be right. But there are so many
things we want to see. Shouldn't we have a map that tells us where all the most interesting things are?"
"Yes, oh, yes!" Wanda answered. "There are lots of interesting things in the world. But some of the most interesting
and exciting things won't show up on any map at all. Let's say that you are walking in a very narrow gorge, with steep cliffs
rising on each side, and suddenly you come across a rock blocking your path. It's a huge rock, and there doesn't seem
to be any way around it. You could sit there for years, thinking that it is nothing but a rock. And yet, there might be all kinds
of interesting things that you could learn about the rock. How did it get there? What does it feel like if you lay your cheek on
it? Is it hot or cold? If you put your back to it and push, does it move? What if you sit in front of it and sing to it? You never
know what might happen. You see, even a rock blocking your path has a story. You can always find something new and exciting to learn-if you look for it. Everything is an adventure."