Typically, people think about the word navigation from the standpoint of directions. At least, people from my generation do. I know I’m dating myself here, and here it comes:
…back in my day, we didn’t have GPS on a little computer in our pockets. We had maps, literally.
Growing up in a family of five, I was exposed to maps and road trips at a young age. Living in south Florida, with the family origin in New Jersey and New York, we often road tripped north to see the grandparents. Navigating meant getting out the TripTik Travel Planner from Triple A (this was a flip chart thingy containing the mapped route of your destination).
Looking at the map with my old man brings fond memories, and I have always been good with directions, in large part due to the time spent navigating maps with him before we would leave.
Perhaps the word “navigation” has always had the connotation to other aspects of life than just direction. But for me, using the word to help my understanding of the difficulties in the world was eye opening.
This probably stems from my uncanny ability to take more time than most to come to a realization, but that doesn’t make it any less profound!
I remember the first time it dawned on me that navigation was more than just a way to get around. I was learning how to fly fish with an old friend of mine. We were standing by a stream just on the other side of the Flatirons in Boulder, CO. He was pointing at the different ways the water moved through and around structure. The way it roughed up when shallow, creating riffles. The way it poured into a deeper pool, creating feeding habitats for fish.
He used the word when explaining what a fisherman looks for, “You need to understand the feeding lanes that carry food to the trout. A good fisherman navigates the river carefully, in order to zero in on how and what the fish are eating.”
I thought that was impressive, like an SAT word being used in a real life situation. But for some dumb reason, it stood out to me… navigation.
As I age, the concept of navigation continues to expand and grow. So much so, I use it often, maybe daily, to describe the ways in which I forge through everyday life.
I continue to use it as a fisherman, to expand my skillset and try new techniques; I use it as a husband, in learning how to grow with the Mrs.; I use it as an entrepreneur, as I often have no idea what the fuck I’m doing with GFW; I use it as a son, in watching my parents age and struggle with the distance between us; I use it as a brother, in leaning on him to strengthen my idea of family; I use it as a friend, as I understand more clearly the value of time.
Most importantly, I use it as a dad, as my teenagers grow into adulthood. I try to help them understand the profundity of navigation, as it leads to discovery…much like my dad did in the old days with me and maps.
I don’t want them to miss out on that process; it’s what makes us and breaks us. Navigation is the process!
Fuck GPS.
