Better than a GPS...

A little more than 23 years ago, my dad gave me a map and a highlighter.

I was a fresh-faced college graduate who thought it’d be a good idea to move to Raleigh, North Carolina, sight unseen.

I had no job. I had no connections.

I just had $500 to my name, plenty of naivety and this vague sense that it’s where I needed to be.

My dad drove me down, reminding me at frequent intervals that we could turn around and go back home any time. That I didn’t have to move so far away.

But I insisted we keep driving.

We did the drive in one stretch, stopping for the night just outside Raleigh at some motel near a Waffle House. And bright and early the next morning, we got down to business.

By 3pm I had an apartment. By 5pm I had a bed to sleep on that night in the new apartment.

On Friday, I got a couch, a kitchen table, and a car.

On Saturday, we picked up coat hangers, a vacuum cleaner, and some odds and ends.

On Sunday my dad went home, leaving me to figure out my future.

But he didn’t leave me alone. He left me with a map and highlighter. And the instructions to mark on the map everywhere I go - when I drive somewhere new, highlight the route on the map. Because this would help me get to know my way around my new city.

I’m not sure who had it harder - me, on my own, trying to find my way. Or my dad who drove home alone, hoping for the best for his little girl.

The good news is we both survived. And thanks to my dad’s insistence on using my highlighter, it didn’t take me long to know Raleigh like the back of my hand. A job, friends, and a life soon followed.

Many years later, I moved back North, and two years ago, we moved to a new town. And every time I go somewhere new, I wish I had a map and a highlighter so I could get a sense of how my town is laid out. Sure, having a GPS gets me where to go, but there’s nothing like getting the bird’s eye view.

This week, I’m keeping my dad company while my mom’s out of town. I get him all to myself for the first time in 23 years.

We have a full week planned - time in the garden (he’s where I got my green thumb), taking the dog for walks, just being. I plan to soak up all the Dad wisdom I can get.

Because having him for a dad is better than any GPS.

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Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week. And know that I’m always here to support you and answer questions you have along the way!

• Write about a time in your life when you felt supported.

• What were the circumstances?

• Who supported you?

• What did they do to make you feel supported?

• What advice did they give or lessons did they teach that stayed with you?

• Who have you passed on this advice to or shared the lessons with?

• How can you support someone else fully in what is meaningful to them?

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One Journaling Idea I Love:

Ask the Questions & Record the Stories

The people in your life are full of stories and wisdom. Be diligent in seeking it out. Start with your oldest relatives, if you can. Ask them to share the stories of when they were young, what they learned, what they remember. Ask about the big events in their lives, as well as the small moments. Ask what advice they have. Find out what is meaningful to them, who they are as people. Record the stories in a journal to keep and share with your family.

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Unveil Your Inner Magic

If you’ve ever felt like there’s something missing in your life, that there’s a disconnect between who you are and who you want to be, that your life would be better if you could just be a little something…more…

Unveil Your Inner Magic is for you.

We’ll use journaling and reflection to discover, and celebrate, what is unique and special about you and how you can bring your gifts to the world to have the impact you desire.

Learn more at unveilyourinnermagic.com.

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Happy Journaling!