Lost
Again? The Truth About Many “Absent-Minded” People
We all know
someone who seems to live in a gentle fog — the kind who puts their keys in the
fridge or forgets why they walked into a room. Perhaps you are that person! I
have been known to get lost in the middle of many a journey, but my friend, Molly
(not her real name), seems to take “absent-minded” to a whole new level.
I know
that it’s easy to laugh at some of our mix-ups, but the truth is, there’s
something much more real at play.
Many of us
are not actually scatterbrained — we’re just directionally challenged.
Molly and I are directionally challenged!
That means
we struggle to tell left from right, east from west, or north from south. Even
if we’ve been somewhere before, there’s no guarantee that the next time we make
the same trip, we’ll not end up going the wrong way.
Have you
ever been out walking before, happily enjoying the scenery, when suddenly you stop
in the middle of the sidewalk, look around like a tourist in your own
neighborhood, and say, “Wait, what… where am I?”
Now, to an
outsider, this might seem like classic absent-mindedness. But here’s the thing:
it’s not about memory. We can remember dates, details, and entire conversations
from years ago. What we can’t seem to do is instinctively orient ourselves
in space.
For those
who have never experienced this, it’s hard to imagine. Most people take
navigation for granted — you just “know” which way to turn. But for some of us,
every trip is a little puzzle, and every wrong turn feels like déjà vu.
The world
isn’t really built for people who think this way. Directions like “head east
for two blocks, then turn south” might as well be instructions in an alien
language. And yet, some of us have developed a good sense of humor about it. Molly
calls herself a “human GPS that never got updated.”
But here’s
why I admire her: she doesn’t give up. She’s learned coping strategies — from
using landmarks instead of street names, to keeping a mental list of “safe”
meeting points if she gets turned around. And through all of it, she’s demonstrated
that there’s no shame in navigating life differently. I know that for sure, and
I have even used some of those same strategies when I find myself off the
familiar track
One thing
is true about the directionally challenged: we definitely see the world in a
unique way, and we are able to appreciate little landmarks so much more,
because sometimes, they’re our only lifeline back to the familiar.
I’ve
written a book that highlights some of the adventures of the directionally challenged,
as well as giving some suggestions about why we are how we are, and what we can
do about our situation. The book is Center Brained: Why you can’t tell left
from right, east from west or north from south, and it can be accessed at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F3XT7HPT,
as well as other platforms. I’m also excited that the audio book will be
available on Audible real soon!
The information in the book is necessary for us to understand what is a common human condition, and make some allowance for it.
Please join me in this quest.
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