Sense of Direction

I'm not sure there are many people who can understand my complete lack of a sense of direction.  It's been a lifelong thing so you would think I'd get used to it. 

Let me tell you  about some of my more memorable experiences with this deficit. 

1.  Once someone at work gave me directions for how to shave off 10 minutes of driving time to UA.  Sounded really good to me, so I gave it a try the next morning.  It was winter.  A sideways snow came the night before and strategically covered all of the road signs going north on Main Street (Broadway).  So I got to the road where I needed to turn right, but then missed the next turn because the street sign was not visible.  I drove and drove and drove and finally arrived on Arlington Street -- way out of my way.  After I finally got to work and was about 15 minutes late, the first person I encountered was my boss.  I was very apologetic, "Barb, I'm so sorry to be late.  I got lost."  Her response -- "Well, that is the first time I've heard that excuse."

2.  Leaving home from our house on Riverview Street years ago, I routinely turned the wrong way.  There are only the two choices, right or left.  The kids caught on after a while and they would notice the mistake right away.  "Mom, you went the wrong way again," one of them would pipe up.  And then my youngest said, "I'm so tired of pulling into strange people's driveways!"

3.  Went to see my sister in Westlake and I decided to try a slightly different route that would again save me time.  However, I went the wrong way and nearly made it all the way to the Cleveland Zoo before I realized my error.  Fortunately, finding 480 West wasn't too hard and I finally did get there, a little late, but safe.  This was less than a year ago.

4.  I went to Toys R Us one day on my way to my son's house for babysitting.  Everything went great until I accidentally turned right onto the highway that goes towards Alliance instead of turning right on Everhart.  I got off the highway right away and then had to figure out how to find my way back.  It took a while.  When I got there, I admitted to him that I had been lost.  He just laughed the way that men laugh at their mothers, like he just couldn't believe it, and didn't ask for details.  I'd already told him he wouldn't be getting any.  A person has to have their pride!

5.  I went to see an ailing professor I'd worked with at UA for years and he lives just off Sand Run Parkway in Akron.  I used the GPS to head home, and before long I was on Market Street, but something was wrong.  I was going further away from home!!  I had to call my husband on my cell phone and have him help me find the way to State Route 21.  He's used to it.  He doesn't understand it either, but he puts up with my troubles.

Going to a doctor's office for the first time is always a little iffy, because unless someone shows me the way to the checkout area, I'll get lost.  So that causes stress.  Going to someone's house, if I've never been there before, causes stress.  Finding a new doctor's office is stressful too.  My mammogram place has changed locations recently and so did my GYN.  Wow.  Here we go again.

When there are detours, I've resorted following the car in front of me on occasion.  Once, the driver pulled into his own driveway and there I was -- lost again.

Our former priest, Father Warner, was attempting to visit Cincinnati with a priest friend of his.  They used the priest's GPS system, which Father Warner called "Gladys."  Well, Gladys took them to a dead end street out in the middle of nowhere and not a bit close to Cincinnati.  And they didn't have a backup map either.  It was a great story.  They ended up having lunch at a Burger King.

If you can find your way around without much trouble, count yourself lucky. 

One trick I've figured out is using Google Earth.  For my last class reunion, Google Earth showed me what the road looked like that I was to take to the reunion because it had the street view.  On the night I had to go there, it was just a piece of cake.  I'd seen it before as though we'd taken a dry run.  Which we do sometimes as well.

Call it a disability.  Good thing I don't drive a school bus.

One thing I will say -- having this problem forces me to trust God when I get lost.  And He hasn't let me down yet.  Somehow I find my way back. 

And here's another kicker.  Why when we all went to a Cleveland Indians game some years ago and my husband got us lost did I know to tell him where to turn and in what direction?  I haven't worked in downtown Cleveland since 1968!!  Go figure.