We were looking for the place we wanted to be. We were not finding it and ended up not knowing where we were. My sister-in-law was close to hysteria. The rest of us just laughed. Mom was driving.
Now is the time to tell you that my mother easily got lost. It had been happening my whole life. She had absolutely no sense of direction. She said that she could be driving down a familiar road and all of a sudden the road "picked itself up and was going another direction."
As children we gave it no thought. We did not know that not everyone got lost sometimes. We looked at it as an adventure. We never knew what we would see.
To become not lost Mom would just keep driving. She felt she would find someplace she knew and would find her way then.
As I said we all thought it was a great adventure. I am certain it taught me not to panic, to enjoy the unexpected, and that things always work out.
So my poor sister-in-law was extremely upset. However when we found Gratiot Avenue even she had a good laugh.
That's funny. For a while years ago I used to drive to another neighborhood to find a KFC restaurant until my brother gave me a strange look. There was a nearby KFC that I forgot about.
ReplyDeleteI usually go down the wrong hallway in buildings. I turn left when I should turn right. If I go the opposite direction to anticipate my wrong turn, I still go the wrong way!
I made up a name for this: "Directional Deficit Disorder"
Thank goodness for GPS.
Are we related?
DeleteI am the only person in the family who cannot tell direction. My sister, the maphead, taught my girls how to get around. Fortunately.
ReplyDeleteI like the word maphead. We all had to learn to navigate since Mom could not.
DeleteThe word "maphead" I will instantly to my vocabulary, Joanne!
DeleteNow I know I would like going for a drive with your mother, Emma. It's because my husband is fond of telling me that I could get lost in a paper bag, but only when driving. When I am out walking, I can always remember buildings and other landmarks, but on a roadway, everything tends to look the same.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for your sister-in-law in that situation, the odd woman out.
ReplyDeleteYou would have laughed if you heard her assuring us afterwards that she knew all along that we were fine.
Deleteoh your mom sounds like me i am terrible at directions unlike my mom who was excellent in directions
ReplyDeleteyour sister in law learned from you to stay positive in troubled situations :)
Perhaps that is one reason I am so fond of you. I was very close to my mother.
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