Directions and “The Look”

“Excuse me, sir” the heavily-accented woman yells from inside of her car. “Can you please tell me how to get to…” At that point, my heart just sinks. Sadly, I am probably one of the most directionally-impaired people on the planet. Even when it comes to places that I know very well, when someone unexpectedly asks me for directions, I just completely go blank.

 

“I’m sorry,” I respond politely. “I’m really not sure.” And this morning, like so many other mornings, I receive a disappointed or annoyed look in response. Rarely is there ever an, “Oh well. Thanks anyway” or some sort of reassurance. It is nearly always the Annoyed-Look.

 

I’m not sure exactly what I am reading in such facial expressions. It could be anything from “He won’t help me because I’m foreign!” to “He thinks he’s above me!” or “He doesn’t want to be bothered helping somebody in need!” While the look is probably nothing more than frustration by being lost, it always comes across in a negative and dismissive way.

 

I think part of the problem is the whole business dress, thang. When I am walking around outside, I look like a lawyer on a break. CLEARLY, I must know where everything is, right? So if I don’t have the precise answer someone is looking for, CLEARLY I must be withholding information, right? Le Sigh. Sadly, just because I wear slacks and a button down shirt, it does not suddenly transform my initials into G.P.S. – and I hate it. HATE IT! Seriously – I would like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent person. I also enjoy being helpful. But when it comes to doing things off-the-cuff, my brain just won’t cooperate. I hate the fact that words often just won’t come to me when I need them to. I can’t stand the fact that the map into my head turns into a twisted and jumbled spider web of unreadable coordinates. And sadly, I will often leave the slightly-confused person even MORE confused – all in my desire to try and help. And what do I get in return? The Look.

 

Sigh. Can I just go back to bed, please?