Today I set out to visit my friend Tina from West Seattle and take some pictures. I wrote down my directions, made sure my camera batteries were charged up and headed out the door.
Fifty minutes later, I had nearly been run over by a cable car, had almost wrecked my car in an intersection when I misread the signal and was blubbering shamelessly in a parking lot somewhere.
It all started when I saw signs that the West Seattle Bridge was closed. I figured I’d take the next exit and go from there.
After over an hour of driving around lost, despite my phone’s GPS and a general idea of where I was supposed to end up, I ran out of gumption. I called Tina and told her I wasn’t going to make it. (I hope to reschedule soon.)
But, I came to a few realizations today:
Downtown Seattle has a lot of cool things that I want to take pictures of. Buildings, signs, people – at times elegant, at times quirky.
I am a freaker-outer. I cry. I panic. I feel like getting lost makes me a navigational failure. But, you know what? I got home. Things worked out. Even though today didn’t go exactly as planned, I definitely saw more of Seattle than I ever have. And I guess that’s a good thing.
It’ll get better. Just because I’m not very brave doesn’t mean I don’t have moments where I am stand-up-and-clap awesome. Sure, my awkward moments show up more often and the self-doubt tends to linger. But, my life won’t always be like this.
4 comments:
Awesome picture! I feel your frustration at a day like that. I've been there one too many times myself. It's wonderful that you found the positives to reflect on. Oh, and there are a few phrases in this post that I love.
freaker-outer
navigational failure
stand-up-and-clap-awesome
These made me laugh. I really appreciated the tired, but optimistic tone of this post.
Your new iphone will have GPS :-)
@Antonio Montoya: I had GPS on my android, but it didn't help. :( It kept trying to take me back to the West Seattle Bridge.
I, too, am directionally challenged. I feel your pain.
LK
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