the navigator

she tells us where to go
how to get there actually 
what did we do before her?

we were intrepid passengers
wrestling with atlas or
folded sheets of triple A routes
that took us from home 
to the world and back…

starting route…
her familiar voice breaks
through my pop rock playlists
and…we’re on our way
set to arrive in 2 hours, 14 minutes
unless…life interrupts, construction,
fellow travelers’ journeys cut short,
a one-lane detour around fresh carnage
stretching our necks to see if
there is blood, grateful to have left
a few minutes later than we had planned
turn left at the next light in 200 feet…
turn left, turn left, TURN LEFT…
recalculating route…make a u-turn
then turn right at the next light…

whatever did we do…how did we ever
find our way, I muse to myself
parked on the side of the road…
I think we broke her, 
clearly she did not intend 
for us to cross through this cornfield…

the sun sits midway in the eastern sky…
we need to head north…
at next intersection let’s take a right, 
scenic route starting…we might
arrive a bit later than planned 
but we’ll get there, as the crow flies

~kat

I often think about life before tech. The tools of our simple lives did not require 24/7 attention. We had phones of course. Simple land lines, not smartphones that connected us via satellite to the world. If I wanted to learn about sea turtles, I would go to the library. Travel was an adventure. We learned to read maps. Verbal directions included street names and landmarks to get us to our destination. We learned how to tell time by looking at the face of a clock, how to tie our shoes, phonics and how to read and write using a pen and paper. When we paid for things we used actual money And television shows were in grainy black and white, with three channels that ended at midnight with the Star-Spangled Banner playing until the screen faded to black. The good old days some call it. Different from today to be sure.

These days we are tuned in, plugged in, and online day and night. Convenient, I suppose. Intrusive, definitely. But I have to say, I feel fortunate for my youth and the 20th century survival skills I learned. Next power outage I’ll be here if you need me. I know stuff! 😄

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

Today’s glimmer? A lovely new pope as of yesterday. While I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I do appreciate the character attributes that Leo XIV brings to this broken world. I think they picked a good one!

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨