Wednesday, July 15, 2015

The Soundtrack of My Life, I Think I Missed A Turn

Since I'm still at camp, I'm not going to burden you with a Battle of the Bands post. I have no way of listening to your posts. I'm out of (internet) for the rest of the month. If you missed the post in which I begged and pleaded (not really, but I am now!) for letters, here is the address at which you can write me:


Robin Richards aka Mergan
Stony Glen Camp
5300 W. Loveland Rd
Madison, OH 44057

What is a Mergan? It's short for merganser, as in duck. One of the things every graduating CILT (Counselor In Leadership Training) member does is pick a Bird Name. Yeah, a Bird Name. Well, I didn't want to be left out of that fun. No was was I going with "Robin," so for the weeks I'm at camp, I'm Mergan. I will be at camp until August 1. I hope to hear from you:)




Okay, so I totally skipped an important aspect of my personality that hit epic levels my sophomore year. For the record, I can't blame this on my parents' divorce or anything really. It was all ME.

I was geographically challenged. Always. I got lost in my hometown when I first started driving. Fact.



So, when Erika and I roadtripped to New York for the Fall Break I really should've known better than to attempt a solo trip from her home town to Princeton, NJ to visit one of my best high school friends. Erika's father gave me directions. It consisted of approximately four turns (or interstate changes). He said it was easy. Easy peasy.

I guess I blew by one of my exits and missed a crucial interstate junction. Missed it. Didn't have an atlas to correct the problem. Didn't really know I had a problem until I reached a sign indicating I was going through the Lincoln Tunnel into NYC.

Yep. The Freakin' Lincoln Tunnel. Into NYC.

I knew that was WRONG.

And that was when I hit the anxiety pedal hard. If you've never seen someone go from mildly upset (thinking that maybe, just maybe they've gone awry) to a full blown panic attack, I can assure you that switch flips in one second, so I was in full meltdown by the time I pulled up to the toll booth. Oh yeah, I was gonna have to pay to go to a place I absolutely did not want to go. The gal in the toll booth got the shock of her life when I pulled up. I could barely talk through the sobbing. I told her I was lost. I wanted to go to PRINCETON.

She said this was not the way to Princeton. I was going to New York City.

"But I don't wanna go to New York City," I howled.

She said, "Well, you're not backing up." And then she waived the fee and waved me on through.

I came to an intersection with the option of left turn (bad), right turn (bad), or straight into a parking garage. I opted for the garage. But parked right there on the sidewalk. No way was I getting lost in a parking garage. Still wailing, I crawled out of my car (really didn't ever want to get back in, but didn't want to stay either!). The parking attendant approaches me with trepidation (as well he should've) and I tell him my tale of woe with a plea for directions.

He says, "No habla Ingles." He politely waited until I detailed the problem in full before making this pronouncement.

No habla Ingles. Oh crap. But he said he'd find someone. At least, I was pretty sure that was what he said because he came back with a guy who spoke some English. And we worked it out in sign language and pig latin what my problem was. The solution was less clear. The upshot was I missed my turn. Shocking, I know.

I went back through the tunnel and finally made it to Princeton and my friend, turning a three hour trip into a five hour nightmare. (This trip is significant because for YEARS any time I would get lost I would downshift into full blown panic, whether it was reasonable or not. It would take a job requiring lots of travel in unusual places to cure me of this crazy phobia.)

Back to the story... So, I pull into the campus parking lot and my friend comes out to greet me and she says, "Thank God you're here. You wouldn't believe the day I've had!!!"




Well I came home
Like a stone
And I fell heavy into your arms
These days of dust
Which we've known
Will blow away with this new sun
But I'll kneel down
Wait for now
And I'll kneel down
Know my ground

And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you

So break my step
And relent
You forgave and I won't forget
Know what we've seen
And him with less
Now in some way
Shake the excess

And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you

Now I'll be bold
As well as strong
And use my head alongside my heart
So take my flesh
And fix my eyes
A tethered mind free from the lies
But I'll kneel down
Wait for now
I'll kneel down
Know my ground

Raise my hands
Paint my spirit gold
And bow my head
Keep my heart slow

'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you

Have you ever been really, really lost? How did you react? Did you get over your fear of being lost?

If you're enjoying these posts, feel free to share your own Soundtrack. This isn't a hop. No requirements at all, but a suggestion to do it one song at a time. (If you participated in the hop several years ago, you can still do this. Just post them one song at a time, with the freedom to add more songs if you'd like.) I'll link to all participants at the bottom of each of these posts:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN
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53 comments:

  1. Just Keepin It Real, Folks!July 15, 2015 at 7:24 AM

    Dear Lawd, how awful for you. And I can so relate because I am the Queen of the panicked drivers when I drive thru DC, and Baltimore. I can't even imagine NYC. My palms sweat so much that it starts dripping off my elbows.

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:22 PM

      For many years after this experience I panicked at the first inkling of "lost." However, I did ultimately work through this one.

      I'm sorry you're still struggling. I'm proof that it's possible to overcome this particular challenge.

      Delete
  2. L. Diane WolfeJuly 15, 2015 at 7:40 AM

    That was nice of the toll lady to wave you through without paying. I'm fortunate to have a great sense of direction. You can dump me on just about any road and I'll find my way out. My husband is a different story though.

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:23 PM

      I can't say my internal GPS is great even now. I just tend not to panic any longer.

      Delete
  3. Cathy KennedyJuly 15, 2015 at 7:45 AM

    Robin, I can relate to not being geographically wired the right way or at least I use to be. The fact of the matter is when we first got married I had no clue how to read a map nor I didn't know what direction we were traveling. DH not only is a good map reading, he has a natural sense of direction. He taught me how to read a map. I'm a world class navigator now and while I have a better sense of direction it certainly doesn't come to me naturally. If we get off the major arteries, then I get turned around pretty easily. Thankfully our car has a compass, so that sorta keeps me straight. But to answer your question, I don't know if I ever been totally lost before. I enjoyed reading your humorous relay of your experience, but I can only imagine how terrifying it all must have been for you. The good thing is you survived and are all the better for it, right? Have fun at camp!

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:24 PM

      I think a big problem at work here was that I only understood North, South, East, and West as theoretical concepts. Once I figured out how to actually use them... well, life got much easier.

      Delete
  4. Susan Gourley/KelleyJuly 15, 2015 at 10:01 AM

    I've been lost in the days before GPS but it never bothered me over much. But I've known other people who are like you. Does GPS give you come comfort? Getting lost in a big city is the worst.
    Susan Says

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:25 PM

      I do think GPS is one of the best tech things available!

      Delete
  5. Shady Del KnightJuly 15, 2015 at 10:19 AM

    Hi, dear Robin! How are things going at Camp Runamuck? (That's a terribly dated reference to a mid 60s TV sitcom.)

    Your story about getting lost made me laugh out loud, but I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing with you because I recognized myself and my parents. (It also reminded me of National Lampoon's Vacation.) There have been times when I have gotten lost, shifted into panic mode and melted down the same way you did. My parents and I have also experienced hilarious run-ins with toll booth operators. One such incident took place when I was a boy. I was riding in the car with my dad on a trip from PA to coastal Virginia. We were taking the car down to my brother who was stationed in the Air Force. Following our car on that long trip was another car driven by my mother. Riding with her was my brother's young wife. My dad and I, in the lead car, came to a toll booth, paid and went through. My dad drove a short distance then pulled off the highway to wait for my mother to catch up. Dad watched in his rear view mirror as Mom rummaged through her purse looking for the correct change. Distracted and preoccupied, she never noticed that Dad and I had continued straight ahead. She incorrectly guessed that we had taken the ramp and that's where she headed - up the ramp to Nowheresville! My father freaked. He jumped out of the car and started running down the highway toward the toll booth crying "Holy hell... there goes my wife!" (As if other motorists or the toll booth attendant could do anything about it.) He watched in horror as my mother's car vanished in the distance, then ran back to our car, threw it in reverse, laid rubber backing up along the berm and sped up the ramp in search of my mother. Fortunately we spotted her car several miles down the road in the parking lot of a tavern. My dad went inside and found my mother sobbing at the bar, asking patrons for directions to our destination in Virginia and scribbling them on a napkin. How did any of us ever find our way before GPS came along?

    I hope your experience at camp is everything you hoped it would be, dear friend Robin.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:26 PM

      That story is hilarious. You had me laughing out loud!

      It all kinda makes me wonder how we ever survived without cell phones.

      Delete
  6. MikeJuly 15, 2015 at 11:35 AM

    Hope you enjoy camp! Catch you next round!

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:27 PM

      Thanks! The last day of camp is the 1st, so I'll probably be late making the rounds...

      Delete
  7. AnonymousJuly 15, 2015 at 12:39 PM

    Have fun at camp!!

    I really, really love this song. Mumford and Sons are one of my favorite bands. It doesn't really make me think of what you're intending it to be for, but that's the beauty of music. :)

    Ok, so I don't drive. I don't have my licenses, I'm terrified of driving - it's a problem. But I have been with people who have gotten lost and it stresses me out (though I've never been thrown into full on panic). The problem is I'm terrible with directions about 90% of the time, so I wouldn't know it if we were driving the wrong way. A few times we got lost, I knew we were going the wrong way, but because of my known terrible with directions issue, the driver wouldn't believe me. :(

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:33 PM

      My mom is/was amazing in terms of directional sense. My father... not so much. And you already know that I lean more toward my dad than mom in this area. BUT, there have been a handful of times when I disagreed with mom on the "right" way to go and ended up being right. Of course, I tended to defer to her at all times on this issue... since she rarely is wrong... but still. I'm hoping that I do have directional DNA in there somewhere and it's just lying dormant.

      Delete
  8. DiscConnectedJuly 15, 2015 at 1:01 PM

    The only time I mind being lost is when I am low on gas and there does not seem to be a gas station available (only happened once, and I ran out of gas within walking distance of a station).

    Otherwise, I figure it's an adventure!

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:34 PM

      Good attitude.

      I'm way more relaxed now than I was during this incident.

      Delete
  9. Red ShoesJuly 15, 2015 at 2:43 PM

    At Camp?

    What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into THIS time, Robin?

    HAR!!!

    I've found myself drawn to acoustic music... I want an upright bass and a mandolin...

    and a Vibrolux turned up to 10... this isn't acoustic at all, but is a tip of the hat to John Hiatt... I've been on a Hiatt kick for a while now...

    I hope all is well for you...

    ~shoes~

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:35 PM

      Actually, I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I'm having a great time at camp. Today is Friday and it's rest hour. Of course, I'm so tired that if I actually went to sleep I'd be "done in" for the day... and today is a long one. The entire camp gathers Friday nights for a HUGE campfire. One of the best events of the week. Don't want to sleep through it!!!

      Delete
  10. diedre KnightJuly 15, 2015 at 4:03 PM

    Mergan. I like that :-) Hope you enjoy camp. I've been lost exactly twice in my entire life; once in my own hometown! Can you believe it? I had been away for quite some time...

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:37 PM

      Loving camp thus far. It was challenging getting into the groove, so I'm glad I'm staying three weeks. I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing until yesterday.

      Yeah, it's a bit of a shock to get lost in your home town!!!

      Delete
  11. CWMartinJuly 15, 2015 at 5:29 PM

    I have had bad dreams like that... No reality, but bad dreams a LOT like that. You never know how big Fort Wayne is until you turn it into a bad dream.

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:39 PM

      Dreams are funny things. Some of them are just crazy strange things that make me wonder about myself and my brain. What is going on in that head of mine??? Sounds like your head is a bit scary to live in, too! ;)

      Delete
  12. CherdoJuly 15, 2015 at 7:18 PM

    I'm going to pretend you're still around and keep commenting. That's what friends are for, Robin.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:41 PM

      Well... I do try to check in on this blog every few days. I don't have time to read anyone else, but I'm not gone gone gone. Just mostly gone.

      Delete
  13. Janie JunebugJuly 15, 2015 at 9:16 PM

    I'm directionally challenged, and I have been really, really lost. For a while I had a GPS that would send me to strange places. One time I set out for a business at Jacksonville Beach. I hadn't lived here very long and wasn't familiar with the roads, but the direction I took seemed strange. Then I looked up and saw the sign that said WELCOME TO GEORGIA. I pulled into a visitors center and had a chat with the GPS. I learned I had to say the address AND the city because the same address was in a small town near the Florida/Georgia border. I called the business and said I wouldn't be there because of an emergency. No way would I admit I went to Georgia.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 2:48 PM

      Janie,

      I had no idea you live in Jacksonville. So do I!!! We should meet for a coffee or a coke when I get back!

      Robin

      Delete
  14. Mark MeansJuly 16, 2015 at 7:17 AM

    Your story reminds me of my mom learning to drive (which she didn't do until she was 30). She had just got her license and was taking us somewhere, when she managed to get turned around and heading straight for the bridge over to Cincinnati. I think she had a mile panic attack, but managed to get back across to Kentucky. I remember thinking, back then (I was eight or nine) that if driving was that bad, I never wanted to do it, lol.

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:46 PM

      Our neighbor when I was a kid (who went to high school with my mom) didn't learn to drive until later in life. I think that for some people it's super stressful. Obviously, I learned early, but struggled in unfamiliar places!

      Delete
  15. AnonymousJuly 16, 2015 at 11:01 AM

    Hi Robin,

    This is Liza

    Back in the day, about the age you were, I panicked at the thought of driving on the highway. So, in my first "real" job, working as a gopher at my dad's law firm, one day they sent me in Dad's car, to drive out of Boston to a Registry of Deeds in a suburb miles away. It was a standard-shift car, which I knew how to drive, but a test model, and it had problems with the gear box. So not only did I get lost, but every time I had to shift into first gear, starting out, the car went in reverse, and I had to try and try again to get it in the right gear...which was not fun at all, but especially at a toll booth. I bet the air around Dedham, MA is still blue with the curses I uttered that day. I am sure there were tears too. And, the model of the car, an Audi, was not put into further production by the company.

    I am sorry to say, while I'm happy driving back roads and two-lane highways, I HATE driving on the highway...would like to find a way to get over that. Oh, I hear your pain!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:49 PM

      Wow. I think your story beats mine. I can't imagine a car going in reverse every time I wanted to go into first. Yikes!!!

      I think you might be right about the air around Dedham.

      The only cure I've found to getting over anything is to keep doing it until I move past it. Wish I had a better answer...

      Delete
  16. Jeffrey ScottJuly 16, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    I love a good travel horror story. And I'm like you, I can get lost in my own city. I miss turns all the time and it freaks me out. Remind me to share with you the travel story posted on my blog involving New York, a blizzard and the Greyhound bus system.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:50 PM

      I will try to remind you,but you can post the link here AND then I'll try to remember to come back here to get there. Whew!

      Delete
    2. Jeffrey ScottJuly 20, 2015 at 11:30 AM

      If you are serious about receiving letters to camp from your blogging buddies. Then fear not. Perhaps you'll find the story mailed to you. ;)

      Delete
    3. RobinJuly 21, 2015 at 12:55 PM

      Got it. Loved it! Thank you for sending it!!!

      Delete
  17. farawayeyesJuly 16, 2015 at 7:00 PM

    I was surprised to see you had posted something on the 15th and had to snoop on over to see what it was (I knew you weren't posting a BOTB - I'm so far behind in my BOTB voting I probably shouldn't even be here, but you know me.)

    I'm sure I've been really, Really, REALLY, lost on many occasions, but I never think of it that way. I usually just think of it as a grand adventure and a chance to see something new. I have enough other carp in my life to cause me major anxiety attacks, getting lost simply can't be one of them.

    I also guess, I'm lost and confused here, because I thought these STOML posts were about music from the time in your life. Isn't this a new song, or did I miss something and this getting lost experience was only a few years ago?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:53 PM

      I wrote this before I left home and scheduled it to go. I also wrote my BoTB post for the 1st before I left home (and it should be scheduled to go).

      I hear ya about stress... there is plenty of stuff to stress about in life!

      Everyone who posts a SOML can do it however they choose. I'm choosing to pick a life event and then a song that I think fits. Doesn't matter when the song came out. If it fits time-wise (great!. If not (okay!). I pretty much just do it my way...

      Delete
  18. mshatchJuly 16, 2015 at 7:58 PM

    I don't think I've ever gotten really lost. Maybe a little bit. I have a pretty good sense of direction. Once I took a wrong turn in Boston and ended up some place weird but within 3 turns (I guessed right, or sensed right, not sure) I was back on the highway heading north again as planned. It added ten minutes to my trip. But I have other character defects, don't you worry, haha.

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:54 PM

      You sound like my mom. She never gets lost either. I think that's pretty darn great.

      Delete
  19. RobinJuly 16, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    I'm still at camp so this post was prescheduled to post. I love your comments and hope to reply to them soon. FAE, the song only needs go with the event. It doesn't need to be the right "time."

    ReplyDelete
  20. mail4roseyJuly 17, 2015 at 4:34 AM

    Oh I've been lost a time or twenty. ;) My sense of direction isn't good either. Have fun at camp! Your camp new is kewl. :)

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:55 PM

      Yeah, I still get turned around (aka lost), but I don't stress about it (at least, not as much) anymore. I think it's the knowing I'll get found that's made the difference.

      Delete
  21. holliJuly 17, 2015 at 12:28 PM

    YAYYY!! I've missed your posts! I cracked up laughing when your friend said " Not going to believe what day I had" after you spent hours lost in NYC. Was her day anything like yours?
    I am so very fortunate that I have great sense of direction. I have an internal GPS I guess you can say. I can usually go the first time with help of GPS and after that I will know how to get there again. You poor thing- I cant imagine the anxiety that brings.
    Come ride with me- I 'll get you where you need to go!

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    1. RobinJuly 17, 2015 at 5:55 PM

      Holli, I just might take you up on that. It would be nice to get to my destination without funky detours.

      Delete
  22. ChanzieJuly 18, 2015 at 1:27 AM

    I love your stories Robin!! I think I would react exactly the same as you.. I actually probably do in a lot of cases. I am very bad with directions and navigating.

    #LoveYourBlog

    Chanzie @ Mean Who You Are.

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    1. RobinJuly 20, 2015 at 2:19 PM

      Those funny stories are my life. Does that make them more or less funny??? I guess more so AFTER the fact.... ha!

      Delete
  23. klahanieJuly 18, 2015 at 11:04 PM

    Hi Robin,

    Humbles apologies for my lengthy delay in arriving here. I got lost on the way here, I state not so convincingly.

    I can so relate to your directional story, Robin. In my case, part of my problem in the UK was remembering which side of the road to drive on.

    Enjoy your time at camp, my friend.

    Ah yes, Mumford and Sons. British country music at its finest.

    Have a fun Sunday. Yes, it's Sunday.

    Gary :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 20, 2015 at 2:20 PM

      I think I'd have some difficulty adjusting to driving on the "other" side of the road. I admire people who can make those adaptations easily.

      Delete
  24. dolorahJuly 19, 2015 at 1:31 AM

    Well, thank technology for the invention of GPS so I don't have to get lost now. Except for that danged "recalculating" message when the satellite is lost.

    Seems like you are having fun on your camping trip. Tootles!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 20, 2015 at 2:20 PM

      Yeah, I love that... "recalculating the route, recalculating the route." Ah well, it's still better than the days pre-GPS.

      Delete
  25. Blue GrumpsterJuly 19, 2015 at 4:16 PM

    So you turned a three hour trip into a five hour nightmare... Now, why does that ring a bell... Oh I remember... It happens to me all the time. :(

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RobinJuly 20, 2015 at 2:21 PM

      Funny how this one has struck a chord with MANY people. I guess we have a whole bunch of directionally challenged people out there...

      Delete
  26. Stephen T. McCarthyJuly 20, 2015 at 12:22 AM

    GIRL WONDER ~
    That WAS a funny story that Shady told!

    I've always had a good sense of direction, so when I do get turned around, I usually get myself back on track pretty quickly.

    And, yes, I too have gotten lost in my own hometown. But then my hometown is really "My Homemegalopolis": Los(t) Angeles. Who COULDN'T get lost in a city THAT big?

    I hope camp is everything you hoped it would be.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. RobinJuly 21, 2015 at 12:54 PM

      This is coming via my phone so it'll be short....

      I can't imagine learning to drive in LA.

      Camp is great. I'm doing some stretching which can be uncomfortable but it's still good.

      Delete

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