I’m guessing this is common amongst people with ADD…at least I hope so, and it’s not just me! I have no sense of direction. Some people have a type of “internal compass”. You can put them in the middle of a cornfield and they just know the location of north, south, east, and west. You put me in a cornfield, and all your going to get out of me is “Oooh, look…pretty corn!” Yep, no sense of direction.
Let me preface this by saying I have only lived in South Florida for 6 months. Yes, that is my excuse this time. (I just realized it’s actually been 7 months, but 6 months sounds a lot better.) 
So today I go to Palm Beach to see Isabella Rossellini give a lecture. It was great. She’s a very engaging speaker and unbelievably beautiful. I’m driving home, and I’m proud of myself because I’ve found the exit for I-95. Now those of you who know the area know that Boca Raton is SOUTH of Palm Beach. So naturally, I take the NORTH exit. And in addition to that, it starts pouring. So about 10 miles down I-95, I realize I’m going the wrong direction. The reason I know I’m going the wrong direction is that I recognize an exit for the dog beach. The dog beach is NORTH of Palm Beach. Oops. (This would be great if I had the dogs with me and it wasn’t raining.)
The good thing is that I’ve come to accept my non-directional sense, so it doesn’t really bother me much anymore. And one of the nice things about going the wrong way is that you see things you otherwise wouldn’t see. (Hey, if you’re lost, you might as well enjoy the view.)
One of the ways I determine north, south, east, and west is by superimposing a map of the United States over where I’m going. This sounds odd, but here’s how it works. If I know I’m going north on I-95 and the directions say I need to go east, I envision a map of the U.S. I’m driving towards Wisconsin. If I was going east, would I be going towards California or Massachusetts? Massachusetts. So I turn right when I exit the highway. Sounds silly, but it works. Well, most of the time, anyway…
Tags: ADD, ADHD, directions, highway, map
