Road trips: a lesson learned

March is here!

"Why is that so exciting?", you ask.  Well, the gray dreary weather is about to give way to blue skys, green grass, and warm days.  Granted, this winter hasn't been that bad, but I long for the warm sun and longer days.  March is the start of all that is good - running around outside in bare feet, short sleeves, sun hitting your face...pure heaven!  It's still a bit cold, but it's just a matter of time.  March gives me hope that it's just around the corner.  After all the first day of spring is just weeks away!

The big excitement in my life this month was a road trip.  One night, on a spur of the moment decision, we agreed to make the 3 hour trip to surprise a friend that moved away a couple months ago.  In a rush, we packed our bags and hit the road.  The trip started out rather uneventful.  We hit the gas station, filled the tank and bought enough caffeine and sugar to keep a small army awake for days.  Hit 75 and the journey began.

It was late, it was dark, no traffic - perfect.  We expected 3 hours,  we made it to the final turn-off in two and a quarter.  We knew the general area in which he lived.  We had his address and phone number.  We even had a map.  We took that final exit.  Being the only girl, I armed myself with the aforementioned map and started directing the driver.

Well, you know Guys.  Guys Don't Need Directions.  They have an internal compass, magnetized and calibrated from birth, and it hurts the machismo a bit to give some helpful advice.  Suddenly, it made no difference that not only had none of us been to our friend's new home before, or that we only knew the name of the town and the street.   The Internal Compass would direct us right to his door.  I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut and put the map down.

Thirty minutes later, we passed a gas station.  

"Let's stop in and get directions", I suggest rather innocently.  The grumbles of my carmates echoed in my ears.  Big mistake.

Another drive up and down the streets, another half an hour, another pass by that same gas station.

"I've got to go to the bathroom.  Let's pull in, I can do my thing, and you can ask for directions", I plead brightly.  My bladder was about as empty as the logic that got us in this sticky spot, but I figured it was a good ploy.

Almost instantly I hear, "We know the general area now, we'll be there in 10 minutes, you can wait"

A new idea.  I carefully study the map every time we drive under a streetlight.  I find his street.  I find the major crossroads.  I figure out where we are.  I'll try subtle persuasion.

"Hey, we went this way once.  Let's try going the other way"

It worked.  They listened.

"My gut says we should turn here"

Again, they listened.

In the next 15 minutes, we were pulling up into our friend's driveway.  Four total hours had elapsed since we had left Point A, and it had been at least an hour since that last fateful turn-off.  It was now 2 in the morning, and our friend had no idea that we were going to be arriving.  Yikes!

It worked out well.  He was thrilled to see us.  We had a great weekend, remembered old times, caught up with each other, and made some great new memories.

The trip home, of course, was completely uneventful.  We knew where we were going and made it home in just under 3 hours.  Ah well - that's life, you know.  When you're in a car-ful of boys with Internal Compasses, it's better to map the mind than mind the map, so to speak.

My advice, grrls,  is to soak that map up.  Memorize it.  That Internal Compass may *think* it knows North from South, right from left, but usually, it'll make you wonder if you should've taken that right turn at Albuquerque, after all!

And psst, guys, read the map.  Your internal compass may be right a lot of the time, but, come on, just between you and me?  You'll be saving yourself time and frustration.

 

.Brooke Hunter the grrl behind grrl-e-grrl.com