7/5/2022- On Memorizing Routes

 7/5/2022- On Memorizing Routes

PC: Kelly L at Pexel.

I’m quick to forget the way I got here. Both literally and figuratively. I tend to dwell less on each passing day because the burden of crushing regret is almost too much to bear for me. So I’ve stopped thinking about it. 

And I think my misadventures with being stuck in the city, on account of forgetting which turn to take, or which junction to skip, is just an outgrown manifestation of this fear? Fear of looking back? Nah. I’m kidding.

To be honest, I guess I’m too lazy to keep track of every route or note down every landmark whenever I’m in unfamiliar land. Add to that my constant state of absent-mindedness and you’ve got a great combination for a loose memory when it comes to remembering routes.

Which is to say, I would’ve been a mess on the road in the pre-Google maps era. I still am, but technology has been tremendously helpful in curbing that side of me.

The number of times I keep referring to myself in this blog makes me uncomfortable. This level of self-absorption can’t be healthy, can it?

Method for the maze

I’ve figured out a very vague method to remember routes better, at least the ones that matter. And it has nothing to do with familiarizing myself with the landscape of every town, street and store I come across. Because that’s what complicates things. The memories all blur into one big mess of similar-looking structures. 

And it becomes hard to tell where you are when they, say, remove that one odd looking billboard that was meant to remind you of the junction you got stuck in during a traffic-heavy evening. The slightest changes can send me reeling.

For the most part, I do embrace the experience of being lost on the road. It’s humbling. And it forces you to look around and see things in a new light. To work that brain of yours. To put your analytical mind to good use. And there’s a slight thrill that accompanies it. Solving some real-life puzzle with very low stakes.

But what happens when you’re in a hurry, and are desperate to get somewhere. An exam that you’re running late for? A meeting you can’t miss? A friend at the hospital?

I find it helpful to pay no mind to any of the details on a straight road. Why should I? I don’t need to constantly remind myself that I’m on the right track with every passing signpost. 

No,I reserve the memorizing business for a select few landmarks - memorable ones. And these you don’t find just anywhere. These are the odd details at every junction and every turn. Every alley that I’m bound to ride into. And that’s all you really need.

Have to make a quick turn just around the corner? Mentally take note of the big bakery on the side and remember which way you went just about here. Stuck at a traffic light? Which way are you turning next? Note the busy store you see on side.

Takeaway (No dining )

To cut it short, simply make mental notes of only a few landmarks at every turn you make. And stop bothering too much with the details when the road is straight. You’ll have enough details  memorized  in your mind to make the trip back, and let the road fill in the rest.