Thursday, January 31, 2013

Maps

You could hear my mother whistle for miles. As a country boy, exploring the woods for hours on end that is all I needed to hear to run home. When she whistled it meant you had only a few moments to get back to the house. It was sort of our version of the dinner bell back then. It got the job done.

Back on the farm (we called it "the farm" even though we didn't farm the land we lived on) I was free to roam where ever I may as long as I was within ear shot of my moms whistle. She had an uncanny ability to whistle loudly when she needed you to be back at the house. To this day I can't figure out how the heck she was able to whistle so loudly.

I did a lot of exploring as a kid. I knew every nook and cranny of the woods I grew up in. I could get from one place to the next without losing my way in those woods just as if I had a map. I never needed one of those woods. In those woods I developed an amazing ability to just know where I am and which direction I need to go in order to get where I want to be.

Having lived in a few different cities I believe that GPS is unnecessary; at least for me. Within a week of living in Salt Lake City I knew my way around like it was home. Within the first month of living in Houston it was the same. I don't know what it is but I have tried to get lost at times, only to end up back on the right track at the end of the day. It baffles me how people can get lost in the woods and die with no hope. I just don't think that is ever something that could happen to me.

I worry that my son and daughter won't even have a chance to fine tune such an ability. This day and age we rely so heavily on technology to get us around. If I asked a random person on a street if they know how to read a map I bet that 9 of 10 would laugh. I won't name names, but I know people very close to me that still can't get anywhere in the city they have lived in for years without using that almighty GPS on the dash and when it doesn't work I am always on speed dial.

I love maps. I love looking at maps and memorizing a route. I love looking at a map as a way of familiarizing myself with my world. I can take a look at a map and within minutes have a general knowledge of the layout of a new city.

The modern day GPS gives you a snapshot of where you are in relation to your small journey to a set destination. It doesn't give you the big picture that allows you to formulate your own route (your own adventure) to your destination. Sure it will give you turn by turn navigation and alert you when you have arrived, but does it help you hone your own reasoning skills? If traffic backs up and you are stuck, do you know where you can go to get you moving again and not get lost? If there is a sudden catastrophe and you need to get back quickly while avoiding the main roads, can you negotiate that in your own mind without a satellite aid?

I can.

How can I teach my children to be able to do this? They don't have the luxury of trial and error learning that I did. Being city kids these days it really isn't an option to be out running the streets alone at a young age. There are too many terrible people that do terrible things to allow your children to run the streets anymore.

Do I pack my brood up and move to the boondocks where they can roam the woods on their own? Do I try to teach my son and daughter the importance of learning to read a map (surely they don't do that in public schools these days)? What if they choose not to learn?

I have driven across the United States twice with no GPS. I looked at a map before I left and jotted down some highway and exit names and made my way. It was the best driving experience I have ever had. It not only enabled me to feel confident that I knew where I was going but it also afforded me the ability to look ahead and not at a 3 x 5 screen waiting for the next instruction. The country is beautiful and you might miss it if you are too preoccupied with your Sat Nav.

I hope, when my son and daughter reach a certain age, that they can do the same and feel the same way I felt crossing the country. I hope that they enjoy the scenery, unencumbered by the technology that is supposed to "help" us along.

What I want to do is empower my children with a permanent knowledge of the bigger picture to help them live their lives unencumbered by the minutia of daily life. Getting lost is okay as long as you don't lose sight of the end game. Getting lost can be as important as the destination itself.

In maps and life, if you can see the big picture you will easier learn how to work out the details.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Make Yourself a Great Day

Where to begin?

It has been a while since I have posted here. The holidays crept up on me and kept me busy with great family and friends. The kids have both been sick, but not at the same time. It seems that when one gets healthy and we start to sleep again on a normal schedule the other one is either running a fever or puking on something.

I feel I have been growing beyond my years and beyond myself lately and I want this life to slow down a little bit. My son is amazing and he is stubborn and he talks back and he is becoming this little independent boy who doesn't need us for much other than his sustenance and the occasional butt wiping everyday. My daughter is crawling and getting into things and becoming not an infant anymore right in front of my eyes. Please Lord make it stop.

My wife and I seem to have grown into this symbiotic entity that operates without really having to speak about what we are doing. We both know what we need to do and how to do it and even though we don't communicate to the best of our abilities at times, things just get done and everyone is happy at the end of the day.

We are not without flaws as partners and as parents but that is what makes life beautiful. We fight with each other from time to time and we might make mistakes about parenting or differ in our styles but at the end of the day we both laugh and say "I love you" and we go to bed happy. I guess this is what you call a happy marriage. If it is then I don't want it to ever end.

I always have this intention to be entertaining to you (whatever readers I have left after my hiatus) but today I just want to express to you all how lucky I feel to be living this life that I live. Even though I don't have my ideal job and I don't earn what I ideally would like to earn, I have a great family and a loving home that I can be proud of and I have never felt so complete in my life.

I don't have an anecdote for you today and I don't have a lesson. I only wanted to wish everyone a good day and to let everyone know that we are still alive and we are living life. I am sorry I haven't had anything for you recently but hopefully that will change. I am going to make a conscious effort to write more and to learn more and hopefully I can inspire someone else to have fun and love their life.

A great day, and by extension a great life just doesn't happen. You've gotta make it happen.