It's No Laughing Matter, Or Is it?

Today, I want to talk about a very common occurrence. Not only does it happen to me, and quite often, but I've seen several persons experiencing the same phenomenon. While it is happening, I assure you, it's not funny, but afterwards, even if you don't have a sense of humor, and your laughter may only be the mask for a whimper, you have to allow yourself some levity.

Case in point: As I write this piece, I'm sitting in the arrival area of Boston Logan Airport, awaiting my ride, having just flown in from MCO, Orlando, But, I very nearly didn't make the flight - not because I didn't arrive at the airport two hours before my 11:30 am flight (having arrived late a time or two before), and not because the flight was on time - it was actually delayed by almost two hours - but because as soon as they announced that boarding would begin for my flight - and you know how that goes. They allow families with young children, veterans, the disabled and VIPs to board first, then they start at Group A, and go all the way to Group F! Well, I was in Group C, and as soon as boarding started, I felt the call of nature.

At my age, you respond, immediately, to such a call, if you don't want to be embarrassed, that is. So, I go to the bathroom, and I don't take too long, BUT, on exiting the ladies' restroom, for the life of me, I cannot determine which way to go, to get back to my boarding gate!

So, I just choose one direction and start running - my kind of running. I'm old!) It took me some time to discover that I WAS going in the wrong direction. So, I turn around and hustle in the opposite direction. Soon I begin to pass some familiar sights, and soon, I see my departure gate. It's empty. Even Group F has gone down the long aisle! Thankfully, the door had not clanged shut, so I darted in. There was a little kerfuffle about the "self-boarding" but I'll leave out that part for now.

However, my point is: a simple trip can turn up some surprising adventures when you're directionally challenged. I definitely have learned to laugh at my missteps and I believe that making light of our foibles, can sometimes relieve the stress of an embarrassing situation.

I'd love to hear from you, whether you had any directional missteps, or you observed someone who has. Note that there are valid reasons why someone may not be able to navigate optimally. I deal with some of them in my book: "Center Brained: Why you cannot tell left from right, east from west or north from south." It's available on Amazon, as an e-book on Kindle and as an audiobook on Audible. It's also available on other platforms.

My aim is to let the whole world know that directionally challenged people are not stupid or slow. We just process directional data differently! And my appeal to the directionally challenged is to not sheathe your inability in layers of implausible "explanations." Just own the fact that you're different. Remember, it takes all kinds to make a world.