Without a map, you can go anywhere,

but you might not want to be there.

With a map, you can choose your destination,

but you might miss lots of treasures on the way.

Without a map, you never know what’s coming —

fair weather or foul, faithful friends or scoundrels,

delicious food or piss-poor cooks.

With a map, you can make reservations,

let them know you’re coming, that you expect the best.

I traveled sixty years without a map.

For my last forty, I’m choosing

where I go,

how I get there,

and whose company I keep.