My Weird Fears, Part II

If you didn't read yesterday's post, you might want to start there. Otherwise. . . My other weird fear is my totally unreasonable belief that I can get permanently lost. Yup, I really, really believe that if I drive to a place I've never been, there is a good chance I'll get lost for good and never find my way home. A friend once said to me "As long as you have gas money and a cell phone, you'll eventually find your way." That may be logically true, but I just can't make my brain understand that. I think "What if I'm somewhere and can't explain to anyone where I am? What if no one around knows how to get to anywhere that would help me get home?" I've no idea where I acquired such an odd phobia. I don't think I ever got lost as a child, and no one I know just wandered off and was never seen again. I'm generally adventurous, and not afraid to go new places. I've flown by myself several times, with and without people meeting me there. I'd happily get on a plane back to Guatemala by myself right now. I'm not afraid this will happen when walking or on public transportation. But driving alone - that's when it will happen. Here's how it will go, I'll be driving to a city I've never driven to, perhaps Chicago. I'll memorize the directions and print them out in HUGE print so I can glance over and read them easily. I'll have a map and phone numbers and all that. Then, suddenly and without warning, there will be something missing from the directions, or a street name that doesn't exist, or construction, whatever, and I'll no longer be able to follow the directions. I'll stop to ask for help, place after place, getting more scared as each person says "I don't know how to get there" or "I've never heard of that place". I'll call everyone I know, but what can they do? They don't know where I am. Eventually, I'll just have to rent a room and start a new life there. Lost forever. It could happen.