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| This is not the sign I wanted to see. |
I am directionally challenged. Turn me around in a hallway, and I'm confused. If I get lost in a neighborhood and eventually find my way out, I don't know which way to go next time because it all looks familiar. I have to really concentrate and notice landmarks to remember where I parked. Years ago, when I was doing an IQ test with a psychologist, there was one part where I had to build blocks to match a diagram. I thought I was putting them together well. Then when we discussed the results, he said, "You really had a problem with the block part, didn't you?" meaning that spatial reasoning is not my strength. That test proved what I already knew - that I'm not naturally gifted in knowing where I am in space.
Also, I think being left-handed has not helped with my directionally-challenged tendencies. Even though I was not forced to switch the hand that I wrote with like they did in the past, all of the instructions in school were given for right-handers, with teachers even saying, "Using your right hand..." In fact, one of my left-handed classmates didn't know her left hand wasn't her right hand until she was in third grade because of this. I know which is my right hand and which is my left hand, but if you ask me to hold up my right hand, there is a 50-50 chance that I will get it correct unless I think about it.
Ward is the exact opposite. He has excellent spatial reasoning, and he always knows which direction he is going. He uses some external clues, like where the sun is in the sky, but he also just has a sense. So it's great when we travel together. I can relax and not worry too much about getting lost. But I'm not always with him, so I was thrilled when I got a GPS several years ago for my car. What a difference that made in my life. But occasionally, it will lead me astray, too. When that happens, I just hope that I have enough gas in my car to be able to find my way back to where I want to go. Or that Ward is with me. :)
Until next time...
