Wrong turn(pike), dummy….you hush, Hugh

I can’t believe I’m telling this on myself. But it’s just too good of a story to pass up. I wasn’t going to share, but then I got this bill in the mail today….*sigh*…..let me explain.

I was opening the mail, muttering about high government fees on cell phones and trying to steal all the “resident” coupons before my roommates got home, when I ran across my Pikepass (turnpike) statement. To anyone else, it looked like a normal bill. But to me….well, it was documented proof of an idiotic blunder. See the bold Pikepass charge of OKC back to Tulsa? Hmmm…..anyone wonder how I GOT to OKC  to begin with when there’s not a charge for it?  Let’s go back to the infamous roadtrip on April 26.

I was excited. Mom and I were going to a luncheon in OKC. I had been waiting for this for weeks – I would get to meet people that I would potentially speak for. I would get to hang out and eat non-tv dinner food as a business expense. Mom met up with me and we left early for once. She asked if I had directions and I dismissively mumbled something about control issues. And off we went.

Sooo much fun – talking, chatting, talking, chatting…..mom remarked that they had built quite a few new houses along the turnpike and that it looked different now, and I agreed. After a while, mom asked what time we should be there, and I looked at the clock. Have you ever had one of those moments when you felt like you were in a psychology experiment? Like everything goes weird and you can’t figure out what’s going on? We should have been there 20 minutes before! Well, with me iphone-less, I frantically started calling friends with mapquest. And mom said, “Hey, what’s that sign up ahead?” ……….(pauses)……..(pauses)……

“ENID?!?! WOODWARD?!?! WHAT THE…..Ooooooh Nooooo”  That’s right, all of you Oklahoma people are with me on this one. I had gotten on the wrong turnpike and driven ONE HUNDRED MILES in the WRONG DIRECTION! I was almost to Enid. I turned around and floored it to OKC. Mom sat back in her seat and tried not to look at the speedometer. I won’t begin to tell you what I was muttering then.

Really? Really?!? I did that? Yes. I couldn’t believe it. What’s ironic is that I’ve made fun of a friend for years for doing something very similar. Luckily you don’t know who he is and he doesn’t read this blog. What was I thinking though? I guess I got caught up in all of the distractions and went on auto-pilot. I had traveled that road so many years going back and forth to Stillwater, and I unconsciously jumped on it again. *Sheesh!*

I think I do that in life sometimes too. I get so caught up in doing the detail work from day to day that I never stop to think about where all of this is taking me – where I’m going to end up with it. There’s something to be said for pulling over every once in a while and re-evaluating where you are in life. To get away from all of the craziness and see where your day to day activities are taking you.

And I suppose there’s something to be said for me finally shelling out some green for a good ol’GPS system….one with a handsome-sounding male voice – like Hugh Jackman – so we can argue over directions and I can get good relationship practice. “Turn left toward OKC……left!  Leeeeeft!!”

About kindawilson

Kinda is an author, teacher, speaker, entrepreneur, and hopeless wanderer. Her favorite places in the world include Manarola, Italy, and Gimmelwald, Switzerland. In her free time, you can find her bargain shopping and hanging out at coffee shops.