The Writer's Right

Small victories . . .

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a horrific sense of direction. I’ve gotten lost several times on the way up to see Mike, Paul and Beth and had to have them navigate me out of my state of confusion. It’s quite the joke now. It’s funny because if you stick me in a place where I’ve never been before, and I have no agenda, I can find my way out. (Like the time I was in Cape Cod and my mom and I got lost coming home from the Christmas Tree Shop. I found our way back in no time, but there was no pressure.)

But if I have somewhere to be, and clear directions, I get lost. I warn all the people whose home visits I’m doing for pug rescue that they WILL get a call when I miss the street and end up on the other side of town. They laugh, “Oh no, these directions are fool-proof!“ Yes, but I’ll mess them up, trust me. And inevitably, they get the call, “Where the heck am I?“ But I think it breaks the ice. They are nervous about me inspecting their home and being one of the deciders on whether they will get a rescue pug. They realize I’m so easy going and human and it’s all good.

But I digress. . .
I work in a HUGE building. I’ve gotten lost a number of times. I can’t even find half the conference rooms sometimes and end up following coworkers. It’s pretty pathetic, but it’s known. (And this place is like a damn maze.)

Today I lost my ATM card. An hour after I called the bank to cancel it, Kenny, the guard at the front desk called to say he had it. I haven’t been to the front of our building since my first day here. That day is a hazy memory because I was nervous, we were led around and I haven’t had to park in front since that day. (It’s mostly for visitors - we use the service entrance har har har.)

So I had to trek down to see Kenny and get my card. I asked a coworker how to get there. I had a general idea. He told me to turn right, go down this escalator, etc. Of course as soon as he told me how to go, it was lost in the abyss of my brain. But I felt confident that I could do it. So off I went.
I didn’t get turned around once! And I even made it back without second guessing my turns. Sure, it’s nerdy, but I’m pretty proud of me. It’s a small victories for the directionally challenged.

And no, please don’t ask me to do it again. Let’s not tempt fate and lady luck.