Thinkin’ Drivin’

Today I got to do something I just don’t get to do all that often – take a nice, long drive.
Something about the road puts me at ease, but I have to be careful because it’s a double-edged sword waiting to turn itself over. I like to get in the car and just go. It doesn’t matter where I end up; all that matters is that during the drive I got to clear my mind of things and enjoy some time alone. On the other hand, I succumb very easily to road rage and have no patience for people who take the speed limit a little too seriously. Because of this, most of my thinkin’ drivin’ is done early in the morning when the roads are relatively clear.
I have a Garmin Nuvi 750 GPS unit (shameless little plug-ola), but I doubt I’ll ever use it for such excursions, although I do enjoy listening to the soothing sounds of my Australian-accented Karen gingerly calling out directions to me as I drive. She’s been a real blessing on road trips; my favorite feature is the “what’s nearby” feature. That’s not what it’s technically called, but that’s what I call it. It’s great for finding the nearest Arby’s on the road.
Thinkin’ Drivin’ involves those good, old fashioned hunks of folded paper the Old Ones called maps. Remember those? Know how to read one? If one day a terrorist ever sets of an EMP blast, your precious GPS isn’t going to work anymore – for that matter neither is your car, but that’s a different story – and where is that going to leave you? Would you know how to pick up a map and get where you need to go? I do. I keep one in every car I own.
Back to my point. I drive. When I feel my journey has ended, I whip out that thing called a map, pinpoint my location, and find a route back home. Ask any teenager to do that; any twenty-something for that matter! I’d be willing to bet half of what’s in my wallet – hey, I need something to buy my lunch with – that nine out of ten of them wouldn’t even know where to start.
I got a lot of stuff cleared today. It felt good.
Go. Try some thinkin’ drivin’ for yourself. Learn to read a map while you’re at it.

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