I have a cell phone like I guess most people do these days. Only I hate talking on the phone, very rarely do. I have people talking into my ears all day long. So I usually stay away from the phone be it land line or cell. So why carry a cell.....well to find my way home. My sense of direction is severely impaired. It is so bad that when my family gives me directions to get anywhere they very officiously make sure I start with a left out of my driveway. This is not really funny since I live on a cul-de-sac on the right. I guess I could look at this as being mean, but no I have earned my reputation for getting lost.

I have a folder with maps to everywhere: grocery store, the mall, the barber shop, Target, etc. etc, etc. I live in an area that was rural 20 years ago and now we are a part of the metropolis. Roads appear and disappear. Buildings spring from the ground like mushrooms. They are always adding to or subtracting from my geographic space. I never know what will be added or subtracted from one trip to the next.

There is a sign that when it appears strikes terror in my heart like no other….DETOUR. What that does to me I cannot begin to describe. Once many years ago I was 20 minutes away from home and because of a DETOUR sign and right turn instead of left it took 2 hours for me to get home. There was my husband, my boys, and my neighbor, who is cop, on my front lawn as I drove up. Donnie (the cop) put the squad car strobes on and over the loud speaker announced I was home and called the search party off. That story is brought up at almost every get together. I live in a neighborhood just filled with comedians.

Anyway back to the cell phone, I have pretty much retired my folder. What I appreciate on my cell phone is the GPS. Technology is wonderful. Push a few buttons, wait just a bit, and a reassuring voice tells me whether to turn right or turn left, how far to go, and tells when I have arrived at my destination in case I don’t know. It will even direct me to the nearest Starbucks Doubleshot, life does not get much better than that.

I want to thank the inventors of the GPS, seems it was the effort of many and it is quite interesting how it all came about. Here is a link for you in case you are interested.
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