Can you give me directions?

A while back I was on a run and I had a car stop and ask me directions. The directions were quite elaborate and I made sure that the girl understood what I was telling her. There had been some recent construction in downtown so I wanted to make sure that she understood why I was telling her to go the way that I was telling her. If she had gone the way she had wanted to, she would not have gotten to where she wanted to go. She actually took notes and I feel quite confident that she ended up where she wanted to be. This reminded me of another time when someone had stopped and asked me directions while I was out running and I would like to share what I learned that day with you today.

Ask someone who knows
If you are not sure about how to get somewhere, the best way to find out is to ask someone who knows. A few years back, I had a car with out of state plates ask me how to get somewhere while I was on a run. They followed the first step very well, for if I was running in an area, I was probably familiar with it. I knew exactly where they wanted to go, so I gave them directions. They then proceeded to drive off in the opposite direction of what I had told them. This left me dumbfounded. Why had they not turned around? Did they not believe me? Did they not listen? Were they just unwilling to turn around? Or maybe they decided that they weren't lost after all and they knew a better way than I did.

Be willing to turn around
One of the hardest things to do in life is to admit that you have made a mistake. But once in a while it becomes obvious to everyone includin yourself that you are on the wrong path. Are you willing to admit that you are wrong and if necessary to turn around? If you ever want to arrive at your destination and you are lost, you must be willing to turn around.

Listen
It is very important to listen to directions if you ask someone who knows. Otherwise what was the point of asking the directions? Take notes if you need to, but make sure that you clearly understand what they say. You may even have to ask a question or two to make sure that you understand them. Stopping to ask for directions while you are lost and not listening is no better than not stopping at all.

And Believe
I went running in Detroit one time and decide to run around a lake. I thought I could see the other side of the lake and the streets appeared to be in squares so what harm would a few left turns be? About an hour into the run, I met some people standing in their front yards and asked them how to get back to my motel. When they told me to turn around I did not believe them. I thought I knew better than them even though I had never been on that road before. A couple of hours later when I got back to my motel, I was wondering why I had not believed what the people had told me. Did I have too much pride? I am not sure, but if you stop and ask someone who knows and they tell you something that you do not want to hear, you should probably believe them anyway. Especially when you do not know the way.

No other way
In the case of the lost out of state driver, he could not get where he wanted to go unless he followed the directions that I gave him. I wonder how long he drove in the wrong direction before he turned around. You see, I was familiar with the area and I knew that he must turn around to get where he wanted to go. There was no other way. I do hope he figured it out before he hit Canada.

I was tempted to stand by the road and wait for him, but I realized that it took 27 years for me to figure out that I was on the wrong road and I would be pretty hungry long before that. Do you know that you are on the right road? I hope that you are not too proud to stop and ask directions if you are lost. I know a pretty good map if you need one.

Peace, Bruce