Map vs. GPS

I am a map lover. When we went on vacations as a kid, I always had my nose glued to the map, plotting out the next town we'd come across. I have even been known to just peruse an atlas or other map just for the heck of it. Okay, maybe I'm a map nerd.

Being a Realtor and Property Manager, this love of maps has come in handy. I'm good at reading them and can generally find my way around very well. I'm also a good navigator, which works well when Pat and I go somewhere - he drives, I navigate.

I recently got a new car with GPS in it, which is pretty interesting. I had been driving a 1997 model car, so the GPS stuff is all new to me. It's really cool if you're in a different town than your own, and say, get a hankerin' for some Mexican food. Push a few buttons on your GPS and it tells you where the Mexican restaurants are. Pretty cool.

The thing that confounds me about GPS is that it's totally backwards from reading a map. Herein lies my discomfort. I had a Property Management appointment this afternoon on the south end of town. I walked out the door thinking, crap, I forgot to map it out. Then I remembered my new toy, GPS. I put the address in and it showed my destination, then started telling me where to go from my house. I find this sort of stressful - I mean - I actually left my house to an unknown destination and didn't know where I was going. That is not a comfortable feeling.

Of course, the GPS got me there. I guess I just have to have faith in it and relax. Sometimes it's hard being old-school in a modern world, but I'll get used to it.