Greta Garmin, God, and my sense of direction

Have you noticed that folks have strong opinions about the influx of technology?


It is true that cell phones, gaming devices and iPods can be intrusive and/or exclusionary. Very true. They weren't designed to be a nuisance, but some users make them so, although not always maliciously. Hard as it is to imagine, some people simply don't think about the device being annoying.

Personally, I am more bothered by a television that drones loudly and constantly than by cell phones or iPods. I do have to shake my head in church or the theatre, not when the first cell phone rings - that could easily be an oversight - but when the SECOND one rings. Really? When the first one rang, you couldn't check to be sure your phone was off? Really?

But I digress.

My point is that technology is not inherently bad. Take the GPS. Very helpful tool when used properly - "properly" meaning the destination is entered correctly and the driver listens.

I am amused by folks who either haven't adjusted the GPS settings to their liking or simply don't believe what the guide is saying. "Fastest" and "shortest" may be different routes. "Shortest" and "avoid road construction" are, naturally, never the same route! Destination and route settings are equally important.

More than once I have had this conversation:

Passenger: "I don't think she(Greta Garmin) knows where she is going!"                                                    Me: "She knows where she is going"                                                                                              Passenger: "I don't think so. I've never been this way before"                                                                    Me: "She KNOWS where she is going!!"

If you set it right, Greta will get you there. She will. If you set it right.

I was in North Carolina recently for a family function. Six of us were in my uncle's vehicle returning from an event. Driving. Driving. Finally someone asks him what destination he entered when we left the event. He answered "Home" like it was a stupid question. He thought "Home" meant the last place you were, that "Home" would take us back to the hotel. Fortunately we were able to pull off quickly, stop driving to Pennsylvania and start back to the hotel. Incorrect destination.

I am no longer intimidated by the prospect of traveling to an unfamiliar destination because I trust Greta Garmin to get me there. And because she does so in direct fashion, I am becoming more familiar with areas that once left me confused. The dots are connecting.

So now I am shopping for a Garmin that is controlled by the Holy Spirit...you know, for my life. There could be a different model for every belief. Buddha model, Mother Earth model, etc. It would be a big seller.

Don't misunderstand. I am not saying I think I am flying alone out here. There is direction given. Accurate, complete direction.

But I would like the audible voice that says, "Drive to highlighted route" then shows me a picture. A PICTURE for goodness sake.

I want the voice that says, "In 2.3 miles turn right/turn left/exit highway."

I want to hear, "Recalculating" so I will know I have goofed up.

I know...I know. Part of the process is that I must have faith and learn to listen closely and discern. But sometimes I just don't want to. I JUST WANT A LIFE GARMIN. Darn it, anyway.

Don't you?

Wouldn't you like to enter multiple tasks for the day and be given clear, audible instructions on how to most efficiently proceed.

How about a map and an audible voice telling you what options you have when the road is torn up and impassable? Wouldn't that be helpful?

I don't want to be a robot or unthinking person. I wouldn't use it all the time. But when I am traveling down unfamiliar roads, it would be handy.

So, if some inventor could get busy on that, I would appreciate it. The marketing would be a cinch: "Audible, easy to follow directions from the Creator of the World." Who's not going to go for that?

Of course, I will have to adjust the setting and then do the hardest part...LISTEN. He does, after all, know where I am going. He knows the best way. He does. And He will get me down paths I have never traveled, when I listen.

Oh, one more thing...I really don't want the features that tell me how much of the journey I have left or when I will arrive. I would just as soon be surprised that the "Home" button was used as the destination.
Just saying...