GPS

For decades I have driven around lost, expending much of my energy and crying whilst lost in areas untravelled by "outsiders".

I was diagnosed by a psychologist back in the early 1990's as having a learning disability pertaining to my sense of direction. I worked with him as an art therapist with the criminally insane. Go figure.

I remember driving from my hometown in WV to The Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore in my little Pinto hatchback painted baby-poo green with a roller brush. I drove straight down Mt. Royal Avenue and into a gas station, asking the attendant (they had attendants back then) where is MICA? He pointed directly across the street. It is a huge building and I felt only a moron could not have seen it whilst driving by.

I digress.

This year a good friend of my husband's purchased for us a GPS to show his thanks for our hospitality during his and his son's stay as our guests in our house in Florida. I read the manual 3 times and finally figured out how to put the thing in the cradle. After taking the same route to work for 3 years, I discovered this morning, via the GPS, that there was a faster route to work and arrived about 10 minutes earlier than usual. The Catch 22 is that my car is not used to that freeway driving anymore and the front wheel wobbles horribly when tryng to brake at that speed.

Can I still remain humble now that I own a GPS? What happens after over 30 years of driving around lost...I can now depend on technology to find my destination? Does that mean that I don't have to leave at least 1/2 early anymore to arrive at my destination? Is this too much for my ego to handle?

I really wish the GPS lady would speak up a bit so that I can listen to my 8-track tapes in the morning (kidding).