Tropic of Cancer

'Where is North?'
I have a need to know the answer to this question at all times.  Maybe it is also so with other Israeli men, who at an early age, acquire the art of cross-country navigation, then perfect it during their military service.  At  night I look for the North star, and during the day, finding North is almost an instinct.  The Sun comes up in the East, goes down in the West, and at noon, it is exactly to the South.  Simple, but WRONG.  Travelling to Oaxaca, which is below the Tropic of Cancer, the sun (in the Summer) is to the North, and instinct turns into a handicap.  Several times, while driving on unfamiliar roads, my gut sent me a clear message,
"You are heading in the wrong direction!"
I had to ignore the inner voice, look carefully at shadows on the ground, factor the time of day, and rationally deduce my direction.  For several days, I felt disoriented.  I knew where I was, yet it didn't feel right.

Eventually, the weird feeling dissipated, and left me wandering whether the urge to know my exact location is a common human trait.  Maslow's hierarchy helped me deduce that it may be a derivative of the need for shelter.  Lacking a developed sense of smell, how else would we find our way back home?  But then, why is it, that I often enjoy feeling lost?  Sometimes, I would purposefully put myself in that position so that I could experience the "Lost" sensation..  Given that in those occasions, I tried not to jeopardize my safety, nor the love and friendship of my travelling companions, it is possible that I was fulfilling a higher Maslow level.  Maybe, deriving self esteem by overcoming the challenge?  Or, as I believe, being lost opens the doors to learning.  It provides the exciting potential of new places and new environments which will require creative new behaviors.

Safely home in Oaxaca, I resumed my routine of going to the pool each morning.  Within a block or two, I realized that if I want to walk in the shade, which is the wise thing to do, I will have to switch to the opposite sidewalk.  Walking on the "other" side of a street which I walked hundreds of times before, everything I saw looked new.
'Did I take the wrong turn somewhere?' I wondered.
I looked for familiar landmarks, but from this different perspective, nothing seemed familiar .  I even discovered some shops which I never noticed before.   Being a stranger in a familiar place felt a bit hallucinogenic, and I was glad that the feeling dissipated in a couple of days.  This experience too opened a door for self exploration.
I was disappointed that even after six years of meditation, I am still not as aware and anchored in the moment as I would like to be.  I consoled myself by the realization that without those six years of meditation, I may not even have noticed the phenomenon.

Conclusion:  Beware of crossing the Tropic of Cancer!  It may lead to some strange thoughts.