Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. Being on vacation was great. The Caribbean was a bit choppier for me than usual, but thanks to scopolamine patches, I made it. I actually got in the water, tried conch fritters, and played lots of trivia. Sadly, I caught Covid at some point while we were away. Luckily, I have been the only person in my family who has been ill. This week, the leaves have decided to turn their beautiful colors. I hope you have a fun time doing whatever you have planned.
Quote of the Week: “Sometimes it is better to work out the map for yourself rather than have it given to you.” –Anson Jones
Movie of the Week: This week’s topic deals with directions and the importance of maps. It wasn’t easy to pin down just one movie that embodies this idea, so here are a few of my favorites. First, you have Harrison Ford starring in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In both of these stories, maps and directions are crucial to the success of the missions. Next, you have the National Treasure movies. And for grins and giggles, The Wizard of Oz tells how Dorothy and her friends follow Glenda’s instructions to get to the Emerald City and, thus, back to Kansas.
If you are wondering what all this is about, I will explain soon…
Joke of the Week: What do you call an alligator with a map? A Navigator.
Recipe of the Week: I cannot think of anything to tempt your tastebuds with this week, but I will point out that recipes are a type of map, just for cooking. If you don’t have all of the ingredients or don’t know how to combine them, the dish might be a disaster. When my husband and I had been married for just two years, I ripped a recipe out of a magazine. I had a picture of what it should look like and all of the ingredients. I failed to realize, however, that I had only half of the directions for preparing it. Luckily, the dish wasn’t too bad and was edible. The funny thing is that my husband also had his share of cooking mishaps over the years.
Nugget of Wisdom of the Week: My choice of directions and maps as the subject of this week’s conversation stemmed from the realization that when we travel, we depend on our GPS to give us directions to our destination. While driving to Charleston last week, we encountered tons of construction that heavily impacted our progress. As the co-pilot, I was asked to figure out how far ahead the construction would slow us down. My husband, Darrin, would ask if I could see any place where we could exit the interstate and get past all of the congestion. It was hard for me to see, and he would have to look himself.
I recalled how, years earlier when Darrin was in the Army, we had moved from California to Texas. As co-pilot, I had been given the job of reading the map that time, too. It was a much easier task than pinching out the GPS view! We have become so dependent on our technology that we often don’t keep traditional maps in our vehicles anymore. To be prepared for any emergency, we need a set of maps for our area and the areas where our out-of-state family live.
Maps are integral to finding your way around buildings and even cruise ships. I cannot tell you how often I got myself turned around because I didn’t orient myself to the “You Are Here” signs next to the elevators! Life is a journey…be sure you follow the correct map.
Shout Out of the Week: This week, I want to shout out to everyone who assists people with directions. This includes police officers, park rangers, employees at tourist attractions or gas stations, and anyone else who helps people find what they need and where they are supposed to be. Without you, who knows where we would be!
Have a great weekend. Remember, you are most awesome, and YOU ROCK!
Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.