Navigating the world
A recent study examined why some people seem to have an innate sense of direction while others do not. The study found that people tend to fall into three groups:
- Those who make good mental maps (and can improvise between known routes)
- Those who have good route knowledge (excellent in known territory but not-so-good outside of it)
- Those who can’t find their way out of a paper bag
I fall into category #1.
Elysha falls into category #3. Except at the mall. Somehow, she can navigate that location perfectly.
In fact, my ability to navigate effectively may have helped me win Elysha over.
Years ago, before GPS existed, when Elysha and I were still dating, we drove to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, to visit my mother, who was residing in a high-rise for aging and disabled residents. As I pulled into the parking lot, I remembered that she had been moved from one side of the city to the other. I pointed at a tiny speck on the horizon.
“See that building?” I said to Elysha. “That’s where she is now.”
“How are we going to find it?” Elysha asked.
“I’ll just drive over there,” I said.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of my mother’s new building.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Elysha said.
“Did what?” I asked.
“Found your way without a map.”
I sometimes think that was the moment she decided to marry me. Had GPS existed back then, my chances of convincing her to be my wife might have been seriously compromised.
All I did, of course, was head south, keeping the sun to my right and maintaining a consistent heading.
It wasn’t too hard at all.
Before GPS, I would drive to Boston and New York City and find my way around the city in similar ways. As a Boy Scout, I did the same while hiking through forests and over mountains absent any trails.
Maintain a heading. Identify landmarks on the horizon. Create a mental map of your route. Monitor your direction via the sun or Moon if possible.
I can’t fix a damn thing. Can’t follow a schematic. Can’t build IKEA furniture or a Lego set. Still can’t zest a lemon.
But I can find my way around.
Years later, Elysha was driving to New York City from our home in Newington. She had driven west and crossed most of Connecticut when she took an exit to get coffee, then returned to the highway, driving in the opposite direction.
She had driven back across the state and was nearly home when she realized what she had done. When she called to tell me, I said, “Didn’t you realize that the sun was on the opposite side when you were heading back?”
“The sun?” she spat. “No, Matt. I did not note the sun’s position in the sky. Not everyone keeps track of the sun!”
“I do,” I thought,” but was wise enough not to say it.
Better to stay married than ask your spouse why she isn’t more like you.
But when it comes to the three categories identified in the study, I suspect that membership in category #1 – those of us who seem to have an innate sense of direction – has more to do with focus, attention, and vigilance than any innate ability.
Maybe some of us are just constantly keeping track of position and direction, and others are not.
Maybe some people constantly note the sun’s position in the sky relative to themselves, and others do not.
Perhaps it’s not that Elysha and her brethren can’t find their way around without GPS. Maybe they just can’t be bothered to pay attention to such trivial matters.
Especially when I am sitting beside you, navigating on your behalf.
