I must admit I have a poor sense of direction, but luckily my husband has a very good one, and he seldom gets us lost. And on the rare occasions we do get lost, he’s willing to stop and ask directions, unlike my rather stubborn father. (See 17 Gas Stations)
But I remember a time, well before GPS, when we got lost with no gas station or any sign of civilization in sight, and our glove box full of road maps no help as we didn’t know where we were.
Our son was very young then and was strapped in his car seat in the back while up front my husband and I were having a marital dispute. I was accusing him of having made the wrong turn that got us lost in the first place,
Then we heard the kid pipe up from the back.
”How can we be lost?”, he asked, “We’re all together!”
– Dana Susan Lehrman
Dana Susan LehrmanThis retired librarian loves big city bustle and cozy country weekends, friends and family, good books and theatre, movies and jazz, travel, tennis, Yankee baseball, and writing about life as she sees it on her blog World Thru Brown Eyes!
www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
I love Noah’s comment, but I think a lot of marital disputes stemmed from missed turns or spouses claiming the other one gave “incorrect” directions. I know we’ve certainly had our own share before GPS. (Dan still isn’t sure how to set the directions on the one in my car, even though we use my car all the time; oh well…another something for us to argue over.)
Yes Betsy, indeed a lot to argue about!
From the mouths of babes…, as they say, Dana. What a lovely story! And with a far deeper meaning to it than the prosaic “Where the Hell are we now?” You raised a very wise kid.
Reminds me, too, of the old lawyer joke of people in a hot air balloon yelling down to a guy on the ground and asking where they were. The guy answered, “You’re in a balloon. It is in the air.” One of the people in the balloon then shot back, “You must be a lawyer. Your answer is completel;y accurate and completely useless.”
Thanx John!
Aren’t we all a bit up in the air!
I loved Noah’s comment—unforgettable! And sweet and wise. On another note, when Sally got some DNA readout indicating that her mother’s line migrated out of Africa through the Caucasus while her father’s line detoured through the Pamir Knot, she opined that perhaps the male line should have asked for directions…
Thanx Khati, and love Sally’s comment too.
I’ve been of two minds about DNA testing, but do love watching the Henry Louis Gates show Finding Your Roots!
Very sweet story, Dana. Your darling Noah has provided some great punch lines for your stories over the years – hope you share them with him. I also love your featured image, with the two choices of Lost and Very Lost. There were certainly times before GPS when I felt like those were my only choices. That’s when I would stop and ask for directions if there was a gas station or even a store anywhere nearby. Of course in your scenario, there wasn’t any sign of civilization, so I wonder how you actually did find your way.
Thanx Suzy. This was a fun prompt especially for
Boomers like us who lived before GPS!
I do read my stories to Noah, and some of the anecdotes he seems to remember.
But some stories of mine I refrain from reading to my husband so as not to remind him about the car accidents and ex-boyfriends I’ve had!
Noah’s comment shows that what kids cherish is the family, tribe, group, whatever you call it. Absent that sense of belonging and being safe, no one can grow up fully normal.
Yes Dave, sweet that to his innocent young mind “lost” meant being separated from his parents!
THanks for giving readers a good smile.
Thank you Dale!
I love what your son said. There is wisdom in his naive pronouncement.
Thanx Laurie!