Recalculating

We have a new traveler with us on road trips these days. And I think she's contributed to marital harmony.

She helps us get where we're going without me looking at a map and attempting to navigate.

She is our GPS unit.

"Drive the highlighted route," she intones in that telephone operator female voice.

If she's wrong, it's neither my fault or Randy's.

If there's a miscalculation (whether human or machine-inspired), she simply tells us, "Recalculating" in that calm, even tone.

However, sometimes I hear a little scorn in her "Recalculating." Is she thinking, "I TOLD them to take that turn and they missed it?"

Is it frustration? Is the tone incredulous? (Just how could they mess up my crystal clear directions?)

I'm not a very proficient map reader, unlike my husband who studies maps like I study cookbooks.

And before we invited this extra lady along for the ride, there might have been moments of marital discord when driving in the big city.

She's now helped us through Nashville, Omaha and Oklahoma City.

During our first trip to Nashville, Jill & I think she might have been in cahoots with Randy. She sent us off through the countryside of Missouri instead of sticking to the interstate.

We found a "Bridge Out" sign and backtracked through even more farm country. We were much more equipped to make a farm report that day than the days we were flying down the interstate at 70 miles an hour.

But even if our helpful friend steers us in the wrong direction on occasion, I still like having her share the front seat. She gets this country duo through the maze of city highway interchanges with much less frustration.

Well, less frustration for us. I can't speak for GPS Lady.