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What I owe this place: A map of gratitude

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So, here’s the thing: Maps tell you where something is, tell you how it is and how to get there; they claim to tell the truth about the place. What if emotions in a place are just as real as distances and landmarks?

This map is made as I am wandering this place, with gratitude as my compass and filter. When I feel something, I stop and write it down. When I don’t feel anything, I leave space. Blank space belongs here, too. That I am here, changes the place and the place changes me (even just a little). I am not saying "thank you for this place", who am I even supposed to tell that? No, I am saying "thank you for what we become together." I am closing my eyes and letting my body feel the place before my mind can name it. I am asking this place quietly "what do you feel like you want to become?" Gratitude doesn’t just come from beauty; it comes from friction.

This map is not a representation of the place; it continues the life of this place; it belongs to it.

This map is an invitation for you. Your gratitude will be different. The place will have changed.