Tell Me Where To Go

Well, the title opens a lot of opportunity for someone to tell it like it is. But should you choose to do it now, I can assure you that you won't be the first, and most likely, not the last.

Any husband probably has experienced someone advising them what turn to make or what speed to drive at. Or the common statement wives sometimes make. "I told you so."

To ease the burden on my good half, I have invested in a new GPS (a global positioning something or other). The new one replaces an older model loaned out which was lost when a car was broken into.

I was very selective this time. True, no GPS unit is completely free of being stolen. But one can really compare to see which one has what seems to be the best capability and potential for the future. I checked out size, specifications, battery life, and supportability. But this time another factor was added: price. And, whether it was a new unit or a reconditioned one.

I won't name the manufacturer - they all produce good units but I finally made a choice. But then someone with doubt in mind said, "We better check it out to see how it works." So off we went yesterday for the proof test.

Now, I need to go back a few years to when we were given our first unit. We were using it to guide us on a long cross-country trip. For the most part I used it with a great deal of appreciation. But on the second day I didn't believe what it was saying when we sought directions to a daughter's house in Minnesota. We stumbled around a main highway with the GPS screaming out, "recalculate" or 'recompute" (I can't remember which but I know it was very insistent that I had made an error in my driving). First it kept saying, "turn around and go the other way." I kept thinking, 'that can't be right' and I became more and more frustrated. Eventually we called our daughter on our cell phone (which didn't always work) and had her meet us at a certain intersection. It turns out that the GPS was right - I just denied what it was telling me. I went through the same kind of exercise a few more times
eventually admitting that the GPS was right and I was wrong.

I little like the time in Florida when my good half remarked that we had passed a particular church before and it took another time around to realize that we were going in circles on the same route.

Anyway, yesterday's test worked perfectly. To be sure, it didn't warn me of a downtown festival in one town which required following detour signs. But the GPS kept following where I was and we ended up right where we wanted to be. It even guided us to a fast-food restaurant for lunch. And when I deviated from the projected route it accurately guided us back and compensated for any deviation pleasantly and accurately. Not once did it say "recalculate" or recompute" but it did get us home easily. And it never said a nasty word -
it just told me where to go. Even my good half liked it - so what more could a man ask for?