You can't get there from here...or can you?

    Over the past several weeks I have had occasion to travel out of state. It was into territory not that unfamiliar to me although it has been years since I visited the area. The trip to New York City was pretty simple. If I knew how to count and could find 5^th Avenue, I was in pretty good shape. But traveling the countryside in eastern Pennsylvania was going to be more of a challenge. I needed to do some homework.

   As a young lad, I hung out at a local gas station and one of my jobs on a weekly basis was to stock the racks that held the maps. Remember maps? They were the colorful, multi-folded pieces of paper that diagrammed the various streets and highway in a particular region. But like going the way of the dinosaur, paper maps are almost a thing of the past, replaced by modern technology and instant access.

   One of the things I liked about a map was that you could look at a large area and get a better understanding of where places were in relationship to each other. You could run you finger along Route 46 and get a sense of where you were and where you were going.

   Surely tucked away somewhere in the deep recesses of the car must be a map or two and with luck, it would be exactly what I needed. I was not surprised to find a map of Pennsylvania stashed away the glove compartment of the car since the car had belonged to my parents and they had lived in the Pennsylvania for a number of years..

   I unfolded the map and found the side with the Philadelphia area. What caught my eye as I scanned the map was the date in the lower corner. 1994. How much could things change in  twenty years? Let me tell you, there can be a number of changes.
    I am not sure why, but men seem to have a difficult time asking for directions. Even with our keen sense of direction, sometimes we get pointed  the wrong way and within minutes it is possible to be facing a sign that says “Dead End”.

   “Why didn't you stop at the gas station a few miles back to ask for directions?”

   “Because....men don't ask for directions!”

   Like many others, I have replaced the use of a map with something called a GPS, Global Positioning System. At any point and time, you know exactly where you are on the planet and it can help you find your way to where you want to be.  I  admit that the device has come in handy on occasion. It can give you the most direct route in time, the route that has the fewest number of miles or maybe even the route with the most fast food restaurants.

   Knowing that I might be in some unfamiliar territory in PA and not having a great amount of extra time to spend getting directions, I packed my GPS in my suitcase, assuming that the pilot of the plane had his own GPS in the cockpit and would not be needing to use mine.

   The trip was fairly uneventful and the GPS helped me navigate my way to the various stops I had to make with only one or two misdirections.

   I don't use a map or a GPS system much when I'm home. Part of the adventure to living in Maine is sometimes getting lost and ending up exploring a whole new area and often the map in the GPS does not show the road I may be traveling. For example, it does not show the Horseback Road, a road leading out of town where I live. It shows only the symbol of a car stranded in the middle of a patch of green.

   Several weeks ago I decided to do a bit of exploring and headed out with no map and the GPS safely locked away in the trunk. It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed some help. This was somewhat new territory for me. I know where I wanted to be, but I had reached the end of a dirt road. I turned around and made a stop at the nearest country store and, yes.... went in to ask directions.

 “Can you tell me how to get to......” I asked?

 "Sonny, you can't get there from here,” was his reply.

   Somewhat puzzled, I returned to the car, popped open the trunk, plugged in my trusty GPS and typed in the address. It loaded the maps but the message on the screen was quite clear. I couldn't get there from here! I would have to turn around and start over. 
   The wisdom of the gentleman in the store may have been right. Sometimes you just may not be able to get where you want to go from where you are. Sounds like one of 'life's little lesson' to me. Wouldn't you agree?