69. The Erotic Mind

What if our fantasies say less about what we want to do, and more about who we get to be?

In this chapter of Collecting Maps, I explore why shame is such a poor tool for understanding ourselves, why curiosity without consent isn’t intimacy, and what happens when two people can reveal something true while still remaining completely free in what they choose to do with it.

Underneath it all sits a single question:

Who do we get to become when we stop being ashamed of what moves us?

Not so that every fantasy becomes reality, but so that more of us is allowed into the conversation. First with ourselves, and then, when there’s enough trust, with another person.

Stay curious. Stay honest. Stay present. Stay human.