Or is it supposed to be lead??? What I mean is, I get lost at the drop of a hat. The family calls it "going on a Wendi Adventure". When we go someplace new that the kids aren't used to, the kids start asking "are you lost, mom?" Not a good sign.
I used to live in Indianapolis. Never got used to living there. Never COULD learn the landmarks. I drove an entire circle around the city because I missed my exit. I existed in a state of anxiety because I was constantly lost. Was a factor for why I moved back home.
This is a HUGE reason why I continue to live in the same town I grew up in. I am used to this town. At least in the metro area, I can look for Mt Hood as a landmark, or note the rivers and bridges. I have lived here long enough for things to look familiar. I still get lost around here, or friends tell me short cuts of how to get places that I never found on my own....but it's better for me.
This weekend was a hockey trip out of town to Seattle. Bane of my existance. It was horric. The teen boy wanted to ride with other kids, leaving me with my youngest (who is autistic and cannot read a map!!!) to help me navigate. Oh not so successful. I have anxiety issues. Whopping ones. Particularlly around driving (as you can guess by the "Wendi Adventure" comments and the fact that I haven't moved from my home town.....). An hour long drive on an unknown road to the hotel took me an hour and a half. I got lost THREE TIMES. I was shaking. One really should not try to read a map while driving at 65 miles per hour. I don't recommend it. Really. I had to beg the fast food workers for help. Yeah....that bad. Only to get to the hotel, calm down for an hour, and do the whole drive in reverse, back to the ice rink. NOOOO......
Two days of this. Two different rinks. Many, many different highways. The 167, the 405, the I-5. Construction, moved exits. My nerves being shot.
And it hit me. I did so much better when I had my lovely Mr. TomTom. I got Mr. TomTom as a gift for Christmas. I only had him for a year before he went to data heaven, but he was sexy. His ducet tones "turn left ahead" was such a God-send to an inept map-reader like me.
Is buying a replacement for sexy Mr. TomTom a waste of money? Or a much needed balm to my soul? At this point, considering my nerves (the scrawled notes written at 65 miles per hour on a crumpled printed Google Map so that I might be able to duplicate this feat of finding the hotel a second time), my blood pressure (through the roof!) and my relationships with my kids ("YOU NEED TO HELP ME FIND CENTRAL AVENUE RIGHT NOW!!!!")....I think it is time to re-think the importance of a satellite mapping system.
A few weeks ago, if you asked me, "Do you want to spend $100 on a satellite mapping system with your tax refund?" I would have told you no. No, I can think of a hundred other things to do with that money. But after a weekend of misery, driving full of stress and anxiety, well, I think it is time to buy a replacement for that old Mr. TomTom.
mmmmm......hoping for a new, sexy voice to serenade me on my drives in the near future and guide me on my way.
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As a wife married to a man who "gets lost" often ,(after being in a 2 x 2 mile town for 3 weeks where 90% of the streets going north and south are named after presidents and 90% of the east and west streets are named after trees/nuts)
ReplyDeleteI say go for it just might help you live longer.
Personally I'm glad I can call Verizon on my cell phone and for $2 they will activate GPS for 24hours.