On navigators and navigating

tyellas has written an entry that I cannot recommend strongly enough; it begins:

"Mau Pialiug was born on a small Micronesian island in the Carolines. He was a child of six playing on the beach in the 1930s when his grandfather said to him, "You're going to be a navigator, and I'm going to teach you." Young Pialiug wasn't too thrilled to have his romps truncated early. But after keeping his grandfather company, hearing about the special priviliges and powers navigators received, he began to learn how to navigate outrigger canoes for thousands of miles over the Pacific ocean by the stars alone."

Do give it a read; it’s wonderful. (And tyellas- I watched the Rivendell scenes of Fellowship last night, and thought of you. The memories of that day will always, always, always be a grace in my heart.)