“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~ Albert Schweitzer.

When I returned from Jamaica to live in the UK to go to nursing school, one of my close companions was a book to be found in every big city in England, an A to Z (pronounced ‘zed’ in the English way) book of maps.  If you were going to visit someone, and didn’t know where they lived, you would have to look up the street in the index, find the corresponding page, trace the coordinate letters and numbers to find the spot on the page where those coordinates met.  Then you would have to figure out how to get there from here.

For those in the US, Rand McNally was the guru, those large books with page upon page of vivid maps, interstates dividing up states, and if you were the driver, you hoped you had a navigator with attention to detail, able to give adequate advance warning before major intersections.  I well remember my mother, who was my father’s expert navigator, estimating the distance to the next turn once as ‘two and a half thumbs’!  If you were exploring a local district, like heading down to the Keys for the first time, you could stop at any gas station and buy a paper foldout map of the area. (Try unfolding and refolding that in the small confines of the passenger seat!). Turning around, making u-turns were all a part of travel in the last century.

With the advent of personal computers, we were able to print out step by step directions to your destination.  Of course, if traveling alone, that meant trying to grab the piece of paper and figure out which was your next exit on the Turnpike, and then head left (or even worse for the geographically challenged, west!).  Compasses were a necessary accessory to your car, and if you weren’t advanced enough for it to be part of the display, you bought one and stuck it to the center of your dashboard (along with bobble head dolls!).

I cannot imagine how we managed to get around New York city, the tri-county area, never mind the bridges and tunnels! One full-moon night long ago, the moon peeping through at each intersection as we drove the family down Broadway (the closest we could afford to get to those famous theaters), I was the navigator as we then headed to our accommodations somewhere in Long Island.  My expert skills took us on a drive through JFK airport.  I tried to convince the exhausted kids that it was intentional.  Everyone should have a chance to see the terminals at JFK!

A few weekends ago, after my first experience with skiing, we completed our lessons and warmed up with lunch and hot drinks.  The rest of the family were ready to go back for more but I had already exceeded my own expectations and was more than ready to head home.  Fortunately, those who had not been on the slopes were nearby, and we just had to figure out where to meet up.  Which was less easy than you may think! I was severely hampered by my gloves as I tried to give my location verbally; my transition glasses were completely darkened by the snow glare, so reading my phone was also challenging; and the altitude and exercise meant a simple walk took my breath away! Did I mention I was also carrying the leftover pizza for later? 

At some point I was able to ‘ping’ my location to my ride, and stand at an intersection, able to tell them the street corner where I waited.  I decided they were down the snow-covered hill (the road where the shuttle buses transported the resort goers from the car park), and set off to meet them, by now missing one glove, but still carrying the pizza box.  As I tromped downwards, trying to appreciate the babbling brook beside me, the snow-covered ridges all around, the way snow muffles the noise and makes everything so peaceful, my driver was yelling (through the phone) ‘You’re walking away from us!’ He could see my location moving further away, but in my head I had already decided they were down the hill, so I kept going! At that point my son, who had decided to get out of the vehicle and walk to find me, called me to let me know he was standing at the intersection previously described.  And so I turned back, retraced my footsteps, and was found (I didn’t find the glove though, and it was so warm!).  My daughter-in-law’s only regret was that she didn’t have her phone ready to video my poor, pathetic visage as I climbed the steps (with my last, short, breaths) to get into the car. 

Last weekend the challenge was to get to my son’s home outside of Atlanta, when three different navigations systems (the car’s GPS and two phones) were offering different routes off the Interstate, with three different ETAs.  Which one to choose? This time I was the driver, and those back roads in the dark are a test of courage, endurance, and driving skills.  Thankfully the roads are for the most part well marked, with signposts warning of curves and big bends ahead.  I was conscious of my speed, trying to keep up to the speed limit, when headlights would creep up on me from behind on the two-lane, no passing zone, roads.  I joked that I was not sure who was the more scared, me or my passenger! In the daylight the scenery is idyllic: trees everywhere, quaint older homes with wrap-around porches; horses, cows, goats, minding their own business.  At night all you are aware of is the lines on the road, and the potential for deer jumping out at you.  But all went well, and we arrived at our destination with our vital signs only slightly elevated!

We have come so far with technology, yet what has been lost in translation? I find that relying on the GPS results in a reduced sense of location, of significant landmarks that we used to rely on in the past.  Trying to make sense of a screen below the windshield means you miss the sights of your surroundings.  And yet I know that without the GPS, with only those old printout instructions, we would probably have stuck to the highway and arrived an hour later.

This Friday morning I am trying to remember to be grateful for everything, the good and the bad.  It is bittersweet for me today, as it is my last day as a fully employed person.  I am excited to think of what opportunities retirement will bring (more travels with navigation challenges!) but sad to say goodbye to my work family.  As said in the quote above, I have been fortunate to meet people who have lit my spark, and have helped me to rekindle sparks in others.  I hope you do the same.

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.