Three-Eyed Freak and a Stop Sign Meditation

Yesterday I had a scary episode of getting very, very lost on my way home to and from the dentist's office. It was neither a new dentist nor a new route. I've been going to him for 20 years, and at least 40 times in the past 12 years since we moved to the adjacent county. The place is only 35 minutes from home, but I was coming from my son's school, so add eight. These are highways I know well, backroads I know well, and don't have to think about either coming or going.

But yesterday was different. The late afternoon sun was right in my face, and even with sunglasses, I was squinting. Rush hour used to be only bad heading away from the city, but now it doesn't matter. Stop and go traffic, regardless. I kept one eye on the clock and one eye on the road and one eye on the side mirror for changing lanes when necessary. Wait, that's three eyes! Exactly. I felt like a three-eyed freak in my confusion as I zipped right past the exit I needed.

I was a half hour late (I had phoned ahead from the school, where things got back-logged by a forgetful boy rounding up books) to say I'd probably be 10-15 minutes late, but after that I didn't talk on the phone while driving). The good dentist took us anyway, the boy first, and then me. All I wanted to do was sit and veg, so having my teeth cleaned was multi-tasking in a preferred position.

On the way home, I again got completely turned around. We were so hungry, and Joel wanted something hot but we didn't want fast food. Looking for a reasonably-priced Chinese place was futile. Rather than drive straight up 95, I veered off in search of food in an area I knew well.

Or so I thought. Don't ask me what I did wrong, but I ended up in the inner city. I'm talking blue-light districts. If you don't know what that means, think drugs, guns, hookers, cop cars, knives, pawn shops, pit bulls. My GPS was in the bottom of the console and I didn't have free hands to dig it out. Besides, I just wanted to get the heck out of there. I locked the doors and told Joel we were in bad neighborhoods and I didn't know what to do. No-left turns when I felt we should turn left. No U-ies when I thought I was going the opposite direction. I was not panicked, but I felt really confused.

I wondered, not for the first time in my life, if this is what Alzheimer's feels like. I am not kidding. How could I get from 15 miles south of home, to all the way around the beltway, again?
I mean, I left the dentist's at 5:55. An hour later, I was 10 minutes from his office, having done some sort of weird loop.

"ARGH! Where AM I? What should I do???!!" I muttered from deep within my hollow stomach.

My son piped up sweetly, "Mom, why don't you pray?"

Really? Did he just suggest that I pray? Seriously, even though I had been muttering, "Oh, HOW do I get out of here? I just wanna go home," I hadn't truly offered a conscious prayer. So I prayed aloud, "Father, please show us which way to go and keep us safe." Simple, but peace came.

Then I told Joel to call Dad, who is great with directions. He is not so great at keeping me calm under duress. No doubt he was picturing his wife being carjacked or robbed at gunpoint and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

He gave good directions via Joel, but at one point he demanded I get on the phone and so I did. Little did I realize the phone was upsidedown so he could barely hear me. I was saying, "I gotta drive! I can't talk." But he stayed on the line with Joel and...long story not much shorter, we got home. At 7:56, with a stop at the oh-so-tasty (not) Taco Bell.

Along the way, when I wasn't stressed that is, I thought of red lights and how I have to stop for them no matter what. I mean, as a law-abiding driver, I stop for them. But what occurred to me was that I should use the reminder from the red light to stop and pray and think of Jesus this Christmas. Just stop. Don't run through my to-do list, don't stress over what's coming, just stop and think on Jesus.

I hope not be that lost ever again, but I probably will. I just hope that it doesn't take an hour and a child to remind me to pray to the One who knows where I am and where I need to go.