CityView Magazine

6 September 2023 Mary Zahran, who is now searching for a new kind of evil genius, can be reached at maryzahran@gmail.com. SOMEDAY YOU'LL THANK ME The road not taken BY MARY ZAHRAN E ach of us has a special talent we display from time to time: Some of us paint or sculpt, some of us sing, some of us cook fabulous meals or knit beautiful sweaters. My talent is selecting the wrong road. Give me the clearest written directions or the simplest map, and I will inevitably get lost. I like to think of this skill as a kind of evil genius, as anyone ever trapped in a car with me on an unfamiliar road would readily confirm. Recently, I have had two experiences on the road that have convinced me beyond any doubt of the true depth of my talent for getting lost. In March of last year, aer months of staying home and not traveling anywhere, I agreed to meet a friend of mine for lunch in Raleigh. I wasn't on the highway 15 minutes before I had to take a detour onto a secondary road because a fuel tanker had overturned and was blocking traffic. As I went up the exit ramp, I decided to go to Raleigh on U.S. 401 since getting back on Interstate 95 was going to be a challenge. Should I turn le or right to get to Ramsey Street? I turned right and soon discovered I was headed in the wrong direction. My biggest problem at that moment was that I was surrounded by scores of 18-wheelers that otherwise would have been on the interstate. I have always been afraid of large trucks under normal circumstances, but being completely surrounded by them on a small country road not designed for this volume of traffic made me almost panic- stricken. To make matters worse, the truck drivers looked perfectly at ease with this change of plans, something they probably encountered nearly every day. While the scenery in that part of Cumberland County is lovely and several farmers out in the fields waved at me when I drove by them for the fourth time in 30 minutes, I knew traveling even the short distance to Raleigh was out of the question. I managed to find my way home, where I spent the remainder of the day wondering how I could be so undone by the simple act of taking a wrong turn. I finally knew how my passengers felt when we were lost and I was making jokes about our predicament. Just a few weeks ago, I got lost again. Like before, I was on my way to have lunch with a friend. is time, however, I actually managed to drive to my friend's house without once taking a wrong turn, a feat I owe to the instructions I had written down earlier. What I failed to write down, however, was a set of instructions for getting home. I managed to reverse the original directions for the first few turns, and things seemed to be going smoothly until I came to a busy intersection. Once again, I had to choose whether to turn le or right. is time, I turned le. Perhaps I was suffering from the misguided belief that turning le was always going to be the correct choice at any intersection. How wrong I was. I began to have the same sinking feeling I had experienced before, only without dozens of 18-wheelers surrounding me. Once again, I enjoyed the beautiful rural landscape as I gradually corrected course and made my way home. At this point, you are probably wondering why I wasn't relying on my phone's GPS for directions. e short answer is that technology and I are not friends, but that is a subject for another column. Since my last adventure, my family has shown me, with countless tutorials and endless patience, how to use my phone to get directions for driving. Surprisingly, I have discovered that this device is actually a delight to listen to in the car. e spokeswoman's voice is so and soothing. If I miss a turn, she doesn't yell or swear like a real person might (something yours truly has done many times). She simply recalibrates and keeps going, something we should all learn to do, and not just while driving. While I won't miss taking the wrong turn and getting lost, I will miss those friendly waves from farmers. LEARN MORE AT JETHL.COM WHERE DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT ©Jet HomeLoans, LLCSM NMLS ID# 1660135. Jet HomeLoans, LLC, a partnership with FBC Mortgage, LLC NMLS ID# 152859 and Dream Finders Homes. This is not a commitment to lend. Paid Advertisement. 833-270-7191 242 Hay Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 Since my last adventure, my family has shown me, with countless tutorials and endless patience, how to use my phone to get directions for driving. Surprisingly, I have discovered that this device is actually a delight to listen to in the car.

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