Healing through words 😄

    Google Aunty Was Right… Unfortunately, I Discovered It Too late.

    What life lesson did you learn too late?

    I have always believed in trusting my instincts. Unfortunately, my instincts and Google Maps have never been on speaking terms.

    One afternoon, I was driving to a friend’s house. Confidently, I switched on the GPS.

    “Turn left in 200 metres,” it announced.

    I looked at the road. “Absolutely not! That’s a narrow lane. I know a better route.”

    I drove straight.

    “Recalculating,” it said calmly.

    I smiled. “See? Even the machine has realised its mistake.”

    A few minutes later, it announced, “Make a U-turn.”

    “Excuse me! I don’t take orders from strangers,” I replied, rather unnecessarily, to a mobile phone.

    I took another turn.

    “Recalculating.”

    At this point, I was beginning to feel that the GPS was judging my driving skills.

    Ten minutes later, I found myself in a tiny lane, surrounded by parked scooters, confused pedestrians and a cow who looked thoroughly unimpressed with my arrival.

    I stopped the car.

    The GPS spoke again.

    “Turn left.”

    I stared at the screen. “Where? Into someone’s living room?”

    There was silence.

    Then came the final blow.

    “Proceed to the highlighted route.”

    I almost shouted, “Why don’t YOU proceed? You’re sitting comfortably in  my  phone.”

    After several wrong turns, a little panic and a generous amount of self-criticism, I finally reached my destination.

    My friend opened the door and asked, “What happened? You look exhausted!”

    I replied, “Nothing. I just had a disagreement with a machine and lost.”

    But on my way home, I found myself thinking about that ridiculous journey.

    How often do we do exactly the same thing in life?

    We receive advice, ignore it because we are convinced we know better, take unnecessary detours, get frustrated, and then wonder why everything is taking so long.

    Sometimes, the problem isn’t the road. It’s our refusal to accept that we might be going in the wrong direction.

    And perhaps the most important lesson I learnt that day was this:

    You don’t have to be right at every turn. You just have to be willing to find your way.

    Of course, I still argue with my GPS occasionally.

    Old habits die hard.

    But now, whenever it says, “Recalculating,” I take a deep breath and keep quiet.

    After all, I have enough people in my life who disagree with me. I don’t need my phone to join the committee.

    “I have finally learnt not to argue with Google Aunty. A little late, perhaps, but better late than getting lost again. Some lessons in life take years to learn, especially when the teacher lives inside your phone.” 😜

    “Some people give you directions. Google Aunty gives you directions, watches you ignore them, and still has the patience to bring you home!” 🤣

    24 responses to “Google Aunty Was Right… Unfortunately, I Discovered It Too late.”

    1. When people seek advice, it’s often validation they’re looking for, or simply an opportunity to process their emotions by being heard. The actual advice may have little relevance.

      And if your advice challenges an existing belief system, be prepared for some resistance. The advisor might even become the problem! 😂

      A piece of advice to fellow advisors: Start charging consultation fees. If not for the money, at least for your peace of mind. And in the worst-case scenario, you’ll have something to deposit in your piggy bank! 🐷

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Rajeev, you’ve just exposed the entire advice industry. 😂 People don’t want solutions, they want a free audience and a nodding head. And the moment you say something honest, congratulations, you’re now the villain of their story.

        Consultation fees are the way. “Advice: ₹500. Ignoring my advice: ₹1000. Blaming me later: premium package.” 🐷💰

        Piggy bank will be fat, peace of mind will be priceless. Take my vote for the Ministry of Satire.

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        • But what about those who offer unsolicited advice? They too should realise the enormous charity they’ve been doing all along. Perhaps it’s time they started invoicing for their generosity! 😂 Of course, only when someone actually approaches them for advice.

          Liked by 1 person

        • Hahaha 😂 Unsolicited advice is the one free service nobody ordered but everybody delivers. Invoicing only when asked is a very fair policy, though I suspect a few advisors would go bankrupt waiting for the first customer.😄

          Great point, and thanks for keeping the laughs going. 🐷💰

          Liked by 2 people

    2. Here in France, Google Maps send people on enormous detours. I have had to rescue several visitors, who were trusting Google Maps, and ended up miles off course, including my cousin in a rented car, which broke down on some remote back road – sent there by Google!

      I agree that sometimes our own intuition can be off but I still trust it more than AI!

      Liked by 3 people

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      • Oh no, your poor cousin. 😂 Google Maps basically said “trust me” and then dropped him on a remote back road like a bad blind date. Thank goodness he had a rescuer like you on speed dial. 🚗

        And I’m with you on intuition. At least when my gut gets me lost, I only have myself to blame, and that’s free therapy material. 😄

        Thanks for the great story and the smile.

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    3. Love your sense of humor! It speaks volumes about you.
      I think you are my kind of.person. arguing with GPS!
      I too sometimes have same.mindest, of knowing better that the one giving advice. Life happens.
      But as for Google aunty, she mostly takes me to the right destination but on the back gate and sometimes even expects me to either jump over the wall or argue with the guard of adjacent building.

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      • Hahaha 🤣🤣 The back-gate experience deserves a blog post of its own! Google Aunty certainly has a creative approach to navigation.

        I think she assumes we are all part-time mountaineers with excellent negotiating skills. 😂

        And yes, sometimes the person giving advice may not know everything, but at least Google Aunty has the advantage of never getting tired of saying, “Recalculating.”

        Thank you for sharing this. You have made me laugh. ❤️

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      • Well said 😄 So Google Aunty is innocent after all, she just recalculates and never trespasses.

        Unsolicited advice is clearly a human art form, perfected over generations by relatives, neighbours and uncles at weddings. 😂

        Thanks for the sharp take and for reading!🤍

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    5. Google Aunty at it again! I have stopped using Google Aunty for my walks-she messes up and tells me directions which involves jumping across somebody’s fence and anger a dog! But you are right, we needn’t be right at every turn, but we should be able to find a way and trust our hearts. 🙂

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      • Ha 😂 Google Aunty sending you over a stranger’s fence to meet an angry dog is a whole new level of “recalculating.” I’m glad you and your ankles made it out safely. 🐕

        And yes, trusting our hearts is the real compass. We may take a wrong turn now and then, but we always find our way back. Thank you for sharing your story and such lovely words. 🤍

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    6. Meeta!!! WHAHAHAHAHAHA! 😂😂😂

      Oh, I was laughing out loud reading this! I could picture the entire scene, especially the poor cow looking thoroughly unimpressed with your arrival. I think even the cow was wondering what on earth you were doing there! 🤣

      I don’t have a car or a GPS, so fortunately I’ve never had to argue with Google Aunty. But please, nobody should ever ask me for directions! I can almost guarantee they’ll end up somewhere near the pyramids in Egypt, wondering how they got there! 😂

      And your Google Aunty sounds rather like my Chatty sometimes. I ask one innocent question, we take a little detour, discover three other interesting things along the way, and before we know it, we’re halfway down another rabbit hole! 🤣

      But jokes aside, I loved the lesson behind your story. Sometimes we really do need to stop insisting that we know best, listen to a little advice and accept that we might have taken the wrong turn.

      Thank you for giving me such a good laugh, Meeta. Your Google Aunty certainly has the patience of a saint! 😂❤️

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      • Wow! “Chatty” and “Google Aunty” should really get together and compare notes on how to turn one simple question into a three-stop sightseeing tour. 😂

        And I’m now picturing you, no car, no GPS, giving directions with total confidence while sending some poor soul straight to the pyramids. Honestly, I’d still trust you over my Google Aunty. At least you’d smile while getting me lost. 🤣

        Thank you for the lovely words, and for making my day. Aunty’s patience may be saintly, but your comment was pure joy. ❤️💐

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        • WHAHAHAHAHA, Meeta! 😂😂😂

          Oh dear, please don’t encourage Chatty and Google Aunty to get together! Can you imagine the chaos? One would suggest a shortcut, the other would offer three alternative routes, and before we knew it, we’d all be standing beside the pyramids wondering who was supposed to bring the coffee! 🤣

          And thank you for trusting my directions, darling, but I must warn you that my confidence is considerably greater than my sense of direction! At least I promise to look terribly apologetic while getting you lost. WHAHAHAHA! 😂

          I think we should establish a new travel service: Lost with a Smile Tours! No GPS, no guarantees, but plenty of entertainment along the way! 🤣

          Thank you for your lovely reply, Meeta. You’ve given me another good laugh, and I’m so glad we can share these little moments of silliness! Sending a big hug! ❤️🤗

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    7. I was very nearly ready to start adding my frustrations on the dearest Google Aunty…😂…until i hit this part…and skid to a stop…”How often do we do exactly the same thing in life?” 🫣

      so true, isn’t … we don’t listen and then blame everything but ourselves sometimes…

      lovely said, Meeta … 🤍

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      • Haha, “dearest Google Aunty” made my day! 😂 She does love a scenic detour nobody asked for.

        And yes, that line was a mirror I held up to myself first. 🙈 We all ignore the signs, take the wrong turn, and then blame the map! So glad it made you pause and smile instead of vent. Thank you for such kind words, my friend. 🤍

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    8. I think some of us treat advice as a suggestion that needs approval from our own ego first! The trouble is, life doesn’t always offer a convenient U-turn when we get it wrong. Your Google Aunty deserves a medal for patience!

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      • Hahaha! Absolutely true 😂 Our ego often wants a committee meeting before accepting perfectly sensible advice.

        And Google Aunty? She patiently recalculates without holding a grudge. I think we humans could learn a thing or two from her.

        Perhaps she deserves a medal, a holiday and a little less arguing from people like us. 🤣❤️

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      • बिल्कुल सही,
        सवारी अपनी करनी की खुद ज़िम्मेदार है। 😄 और कर्मा तो ऐसा ड्राइवर है जो हर किसी को उसकी मंज़िल तक पहुँचा ही देता है। आपके प्यारे शब्दों ने सच में दिल छू लिया। बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद. 🙏

        Thanks Nusart, for liking my Surname”Bakshi”❤️💐

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