OMG NO! It is horrible. To wit: I was walking down the street one day, about a block from my house. I heard some dogs barking in a house that was renown for housing a crazy woman. I suddenly realized I’d been hearing them bark for hours. I could hear them when I went out on my deck. I was worried that the lady was dead or something. (As it turns out, about a year later exactly that happened. She died, but no one found her for 3 days..)
I called 911. The conversation went like this:
Me “There are some dogs barking in the crack lady’s house at the corner of 13th and Maris.”
Dispatch, “OK. Which corner?”
I immediately go blank.
“Uhhhhh….”
“OK, is the house on the side of the street where Walmart is, or is it on the side of the street toward Island Park?”
Me, “OK, I see where you’re going. Walmart.”
“OK, that’s south. Now, is it on the side of the street toward Rubbermaid, or toward downtown?”
“Downtown.”
“OK, that’s west. So it’s on the south west corner.”
“Um, if you say so…”
But it’s understandable. I haven’t lived in this house very long. Only about 14 years.
My daughter, on the other hand, is uncanny. She can tell you which direction she’s facing, in a strange town, at night, in a basement, with her eyes closed. I wish I knew what that felt like.
I did get her once. We were in Wichita, traveling on Southeast Blvd, so named for the direction it runs.
I said, “Which direction are we going, Corrie?”
She started to answer, then hesitated…then said, “That is is so weird! I don’t know which direction I’m going!”
I wonder if it has to do with iron levels in the blood, or something.