This post is part of a writing prompt blog hop some lovely ladies host called FTSF (Finish the Sentence Friday). If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend checking it out! This week’s prompt was to finish this sentence:
A funny thing happened on the way to…
So, here it goes:
Well, it wasn't so much a "ha ha" type of funny, than it was a "I have to find the humor in this" funny before I rip my hair out and lose my mind!
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE DOCTOR’S
I had planned a month in advance to have my mother-in-law watch Alivia while I went to a much needed and overdue doctor's appointment. After dropping Alivia off and going over a checklist of items to help my mother-in-law care for her in my absence, I was off to the doctor's. Did I mention it was about an hour away? Anyhow, I jumped in my car, put my seatbelt on, and opened the navigation app. on my Droid for directions. Since my mother-in-law just moved, I was unfamiliar with the area and had no idea how to get to the nearest highway. I was having a grand ol’ time driving, admiring the scenic route, and singing at the top of my lungs to my country playlist. And in the midst of my beautiful surroundings and the vocal stylings of Little Big Town, I was blissfully unaware of the time. When I did finally glance at the clock, I realized I had been driving for over 35 minutes with not a highway or familiar landmark in sight. Or was it familiar? I turned down the radio and began to take a closer look outside. Didn’t I see that farm already? And that little corner store? Seriously; what was going on? I pulled the car over to view the line-by-line directions and zoom out on the map to see the entire route. To my horror, I found that I had been driving in circles. Big circles, but circles none the less. I could actually see the route on the map as it circled around and looped back at this one particular street. I was baffled! And now, with only 10 minutes left to get to the doctors, I began to panic. I had no idea where I was nor which town I was in. That’s not even the worst part! Like I mentioned earlier, my mother-in-law just moved and I forgot her new address. And, apparently, I never updated her contact information in my phone, so I was sort of up sh#@’s creek without a paddle. In the meantime, I had to call my doctor at the last minute, explain to them what happened, and reschedule. I can only imagine what they were thinking when I told them I’d been driving in circles!
To make a long story short, I finally got a hold of my husband and he gave me his mom’s address. Only the navigation was still taking me in circles! I had to drive in a completely different direction just to get myself out of that "circle of hell" on the map. Once I did, I was able to reenter the address and navigate back to my mom’s house.
Of course, by the time I arrived, I was frazzled! Not only frazzled, but embarrassed to tell my mother-in-law that it took me 40 minutes to realize I was driving in circles! Lucky for me she cast no judgment and even tried to console me when my eyes welled up with tears just thinking about having to make another trip to the doctor’s office and finding a babysitter for Alivia.
I wanted to throw my Droid out the window, but I refrained myself. Now, instead of relying solely on my phone for directions, I always take a print out of directions with me as well.
Looking back I can laugh about it now, at how unaware and preoccupied I was to notice the same streets, farms, and stores, I repeatedly passed.
I’ve heard of navigation programs taking you the wrong way, or saying your destination is on the wrong side of the road, but never about taking someone in circles. Has your navigation ever failed you, or taken you in circles? If so, I’d really love to hear about it.
If you missed my previous post, I’d say I need a vacation if my kid weren’t such a trip, feel free to stop by and check it out. Maybe my silly poem on parenting will put a smile on your face!
Happy Friday!
I am seriously so happy you joined us today and hope that you will join in more in the weeks to come. And I can honestly tell you that if this happened to me, I would have been in hysterics. Hope you managed to keep it together for as long as you did without knowing where you were totally amazes me. Truly give you tons of credit and then some, because I really would have been a mess. I hate getting lost and really not good finding my way out if I am. I never actually had my GPS fail me, but I know my aunt did once or twice and the same thing, she pulled through and figured it out herself, too.
ReplyDeleteoh no. you poor thing. I totally get that feeling...while commuting to one of the schools I work, the pkwy was blocked and I had take another way. The Garmen was giving me last minute turns that I kept missing and I barely made it on time...I wanted to cry and had to pee real bad, LOL.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing worse that seeing the time appear where you should be somewhere that you know you won't make it. I never had the circles one but I've definitely been steered wrong. I haven't learned my lesson though, I still rely on the GPS only.
ReplyDeleteNavigation, ugh. One time, my nav told me I was in the middle of a lake when I was in a parking lot.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how much we rely on it now.
Ha! That is totally something I would do - I am horrible with directions and to not pay attention to streets, etc. when I'm driving somewhere new.
ReplyDeleteOh sheesh I'm sorry that that happened to you! I rely completely on my navigation and yes, she has failed me at times but never taken me in circles! I wonder what happened! Did you reschedule your doctor's appointment?
ReplyDeleteI don't completely trust GPS. Of course, I had a bad experience with printed directions once, too. I guess this explains why I'd rather stay home!
ReplyDeleteWe once were supposed to pick up the in-laws from their hotel near the airport. Somehow, the navi led us right into a corn field. Love your story :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not laughing at you, I am laughing with you, as I have a similar story. I was driving from San Diego, CA to about 1500 miles away through states and towns I had never been to before. So I used my droid also. Somewhere in Northern California, it tells me to take an exit. I thought that was odd since my dad told me I would be taking the 5 to Portland. But it wanted me off the 5 and on a highway. I didn't think much of it and figured it knew a shortcut. I ended up driving into the darkest area I have ever been. Small dirt road, no lights anywhere from any source, and I was hopelessly lost. I ended up backtracking and ended up at the exit north of where I had started (how did I do that?) where there was NO on ramps to the interstate. But my droid thought I was on the interstate and directed me north as I drove west searching for civilization. By the time I found ANYTHING, I was 20 miles away from the interstate in a small town with one gas station and the nicest people I ever met and the sun was coming up. I spent over 2 hours driving through the boontoolies. I was SO mad at my phone! LOL We laugh about it now but I such a nervous wreck I wouldn't get off the interstate unless it was a large exit after that.
ReplyDeleteThis has happened to me. TWICE. It was so awful, I had a near breakdown, and I feel the tension building just remembering that day! The first time was being new to this city and having to pick someone up from the airport. I got so upset, I ripped my Garmin out and literally threw it to the back of my van. When it happened the second time, I threw it FROM the van. (I was back in my garage when I did that) Still, that was the last time I ever used that GPS. On a side note there is something wrong with all GPS systems, in my opinion. There is a town that is a good 20 minutes from here, involving 2 freeways to get there.Any GPS I've used claims its only 8 miles from my home. I don't know how many miles it actually is, but I do know its at least 8 miles to the second freeway, which may be about half way there. See, every GPS I've used calculated the distance across a mountain, that has no trail or driving access across it. Makes no sense.
ReplyDelete