GPS=Stupid

I have been meaning to write a post for some time now about how I think that my GPS is making me stupid. I used to speak compass...fluently. While most people I know use directions of left and right and landmarks to get somewhere I have always been good at knowing where I am in relation to north, south, east and west. (I never figured out the south-by-southwest mumbo jumbo though.) I always had a little virtual map in my head with a starting and ending destination and it was easy to follow.

Then I got a van with GPS built right into the dash.



It happened gradually of course. I would use the GPS just to verify directions that I had written on a piece of paper. I already generally knew where I was going and the GPS would confirm what I already knew.

Then sometimes my GPS would give me a different route to a place that I had been before. And the new route was a little faster and maybe more convenient so I thought hmmmm I should use this more often.

Then I quit carrying the written directions and just trusted the gps to guide me to my destination. I just typed in the address and drove away.


But recently I have noticed that I often don't even have the foggiest idea which direction I am traveling. Is my destination west of my house? I have even approached an expressway and panicked when the gps hasn't caught up fast enough to tell me whether to travel east or west!?!?

How can I possibly not know if I need to go east or west?

My gps has made me stupid.

I keep telling myself that it's ok to turn over navigation to a machine because I typically have a LOT going on in the van while I am driving. It would be incredibly hard to follow directions on a piece of paper with shoes hitting you in the back of the head, people arguing loudly over what songs to play next, and needing to scream at everybody to put their seat belts back on or the police will be coming every thirty seconds.

But I am a little concerned that my navigation skills will be permanently altered. I would like to think that I am turning over navigation to my gps girl on a temporary basis while I focus on more important things. I am keeping my fingers crossed that navigation is like riding a bike... and it will come right back because if it doesn't I sure don't know which way to go to find it!?!?!