{"id":3186,"date":"2026-08-19T14:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/?p=3186"},"modified":"2026-08-04T07:54:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T07:54:49","slug":"google-maps-strikes-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/google-maps-strikes-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Maps Strikes Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have ever driven with my partner Deanne and I, you will know that we kick it old school analogue.  Just ask Dr. Gilbert, who sat in the backseat of our tiny rented Citron in France. While I wielded a giant paper map that took up half the windshield to guide us to our destination, Deanne navigated the winding roads.  I recall at one point, Dr. Gilbert offered to use Google Maps to which Deanne and I heartedly replied \u201cNo!\u201d To be fair, Deanne and I love the aesthetics of maps \u2013 some of our favourites are framed around our house \u2013 but to be perfectly honest, we also maybe have some secret pride that we can read them or perhaps a secret moral superiority that we don\u2019t rely on technology (I guess it is not so secret if I am outing myself here \ud83d\ude0a).   Anyway, Dr. Gilbert did survive her road trip in France, which is a good thing because she is doing some cool research on RO DBT.  (See https:\/\/psychiatry.wustl.edu\/people\/dr-kirsten-gilbert-gilbert\/ <\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward a few years and google maps has been a bit more integrated in my world.  On a recent statutory holiday, I loaded the dogs in the car and headed for a walk that required a longer drive than usual.  And because I head to this trail only a few times a year, I use google maps to remind me of the exit I need to take.  I blast by one exit that looks very familiar.  Hmm, I think, maybe the next one?  Nope, google maps appears to be taking me on a very long, very unfamiliar route.  Has AI become sentient and is abducting me? Did I key in the wrong trail in the right area or the right trail in the wrong area?  Soon, I am winding through roads I have never even heard of, much less driven.  At first, I am mad as hell \u2013 this isn\u2019t my usual<\/em> route, this is taking much longer than the \u201cright\u201d <\/em>route.  And then I said to myself, this is an opportunity to practice openness and novelty.  Instead of cursing google maps, I began to slow down my driving (and my breathing), taking in the new scenery, being curious about how the road names came to be (I don\u2019t think there are any Kangaroos on Kangaroo Road, just sayin\u2019).  Lo and behold, I arrive at my destination feeling less agitated. Funny how openness works (wink wink).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On my return route, however, Fixed Mind jumps in the passenger seat and says \u201cwell, that was fun, but you are taking the right<\/em> route back. Enough novelty for one day! Chores to do, bills to pay!\u201d  As my \u201ccorrect\u201d route is taking me through a small rural village, I notice tons of people, folks in uniforms, and lots and lots of cars.  Had I listened to Fixed Mind on the way in, I would have been blocked getting to my destination by a parade.  Google maps had taken me on, in fact, the most efficient route after all.  As I drove the rest of the way home, I pondered how \u201cthis is the way things are done\u201d mantra and the OC cult of efficiency steals joy, novelty and learning \u2013 and not just with driving directions. This made me a bit sad reflecting on missed opportunities, but as we say in RO, don\u2019t build your house in the graveyard.  And while I can\u2019t say if I will take the \u201cscenic\u201d route again, at least I can say I tried it! Oh, and look out Dr. Gilbert, we will be navigating the Toronto public transit together soon! I hope they have paper maps, but maybe bring your phone just in case!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n \n <\/clipPath>\n \n \n \"J. <\/foreignObject>\n <\n <\/svg>\n\n
J. Nicole Little, PhD, RCC<\/h6>\n

Nicole is a therapist specializing in eating disorders and other conditions of overcontrol in Victoria, B.C., Canada. She is passionate about RO DBT, animal assisted therapy and creating through writing and collage. She remains in remedial Flexible Mind VARIEs but her family loves her anyway.<\/p>\n \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you have ever driven with my partner Deanne and I, you will know that we kick it old school analogue.  Just ask Dr. Gilbert, who sat in the backseat of our tiny rented Citron in France. While I wielded a giant paper map that took up half the windshield to guide us to our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3186"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3189,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3186\/revisions\/3189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radicallyopen.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}