> > Direction, Time, Distance
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> > Where do these senses come from? Are they something you're born with? Or can you learn them? Are they linked? Can you be strong in one but weak in another?

You may have a knack for such things, but they are mostly learned by experience.

As a youngster, I hiked a lot and developed a good sense of direction. It's still good but not perfect. When I misjudge direction I am usually 180 degrees off. When I am close, I'm usually right on the money. I do very well with distance, because I usually know how fast I am walking, driving, or flying.

Most people don't seem to know that, if you take off from LAX and fly two hours toward the east at 600 miles per hour, that city down there on the left is Oklahoma City.

Some people drive north all day and then don't know what direction they are going if they turn right.

For walkers, where the blocks are square and the streets run to the four points of the compass, there is no reason to get lost. If the blocks are rectangles, and the streets run cattycornered, you should be able to make adjustments, and know where you are. I walk all over strange cities and still find my way back to the hotel. That's good, because once, I forgot the name of the hotel.

Geographical features help a lot. If you can see a range of mountains in the distance, or if you are near a seacoast, you should be able to keep your bearings. In Hawaii, where you have both most of the time, you have to work at it to get lost.

Having said all that, I'm going to be embarassed if I get lost in Tampa this weekend. I've never been there before, but I've studied the maps. The coastline is crooked and they don't have mountains. Wish me luck. Sometimes I have to rely on that.
Howard