From assignment to assignment, I just repeatedly said, “No, I’m not sure where that is, but I can put it into my phone no problem.”

Unsurprisingly, I went over on my data allowance on my cell phone last month from using Google Maps too often to get around town.

When I got my cell phone bill, it felt like a little more serious than I made it out to be when punching the name of my next destination, but I expected it. It’s the price I had to pay to learn my way around town, and it was a valuable learning process.

I would type my destination into Google Maps and use it to get there, and then try to remember my way back.

Did I run into more than my fair share of dead end roads? Yes. Did I end up having to use GPS to get back to the office? Often. Do I now feel more confident about driving around town? Absolutely.

I’ve heard complaints that argue that using GPS messes with someone’s sense of direction because it distorts the big picture.

For instance, if I am navigating from point A to point B, I don’t necessarily know how that trip relates to the church I went to yesterday or the nearest interstate on-ramp.

I have to agree that it can be problematic if relied on entirely, but as a directional crutch, no better option exists.

I can go directly to my destination and then try to use what it has taught me in order to find my way back, which normally means taking the scenic route.

Accidently taking the long way back from an assignment every now and then isn’t so bad. It gives me time to reflect, so yes, I do see the big picture, just maybe not the way they meant.

I imagine what it must be like to see Frank the Camel grow up and wonder if you can order camel costumes online like the one he was wearing during Market Place 5 this past week.

I hope the 50-plus volunteers who gave up their weeks to make these children’s summers—and give them a photo op with a camel—know how much their time meant.

I think about all the work, and again all the volunteers, that are working practically around the clock for the Miss Mississippi Pageant.

I’ve been to my fair share of Alabama football games, and this pageant is Vicksburg, Mississippi’s equivalent of a fall Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

And then I turn back into The Post’s parking, and there I have the opportunity to share some of those big picture musings with the residents of Vicksburg.

 

Sarah Mahan is a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at sarah.mahan@vicksburgpost.com come. Readers are invited to share their opinions for publication.