This is a true story. And before my best friend challenged me to help her, I didn’t even know I was capable of it.
So this isn’t only a story about making someone else’s life easier, but also about venturing beyond what I thought I was capable of.
So what happened?
My best friend had just moved to a new house, and not only to a new house, but also was she the first house in a completely new street. The water and electricity has just been laid into the ground, and the municipality had just chosen a local scientists name for the street and put the sign up.
Now, my best friend is a mother three, and working part-time as a doctor. So going shopping for clothes for the kids means finding a quiet moment when everyone is asleep and buy all she could online.
But after she moved to the new place, none of the parcels arrived at her house. She would have to pick them up at the post office, adding unnecessary chores and stress to her busy life. She was desperate. It seemed like her new house wasn’t on the map.
She called me up to ask for help. She knew I was working in tech and I was her best hope. She said “You know, these delivery services, they all use Google Maps to deliver my parcels. But our new address isn’t on Maps yet. And since they are in a time crunch, they don’t even look around, they just bring it back to the post office where I have to pick it up. It’s dreadful, I don’t have that kind of time. Please help me!”
I said “I will help you. I will find a way to get your house on maps!” - though I had no idea how. So I googled it: How to add a place on maps. I was sceptic, but there it was, I wasn’t only able to add the new street, draw it and name it, I was even able to add the exact house and it’s number.
I submitted my edit and waited…
A few hours later, an email arrived in my inbox: Your edit was approved! I could see my best friends street, house and number on the Map. It was incredible. Straight away, I told my best friend. She looked her address up on maps, and there she was. I was her hero! I solved one giant problem for her!
Two days later, the first parcel arrived at her place. That’s when she called me up again to tell me how happy she was.
I was simply mesmerised. And honoured by the power I was given, to change the Map and to change someone’s life!
