Like any directionally challenged navigator, the phrase “getting lost in a paper bag” seems to perfectly describe my situation, since I’ve spent many years–often in tears–holding everything from mangled maps to crumpled MapQuest directions, to pure, unadulterated hope, attempting to find my destinations.

Mind you, I do well at discerning to which direction I’m heading, so long as the sun is shining, or rising, or setting. But give me a cloudy day or (gasp!) night, and I could be in the middle of the ocean and wouldn’t be any more lost.

Once, with my kids in the backseat in their little swimsuits, I followed my MapQuest directions perfectly while searching for a local lake and beach, only to wind up in a neighborhood side street. Yeah, that day I was all like, “Put down the beach ball, kiddos, Mama’s on the road again.”

And while it has had its fair share of flaws, MapQuest is not always to blame, as my most ironic situation occurred when I was 4 months pregnant with our second child (so already a mite more emotional). We had recently moved to a new state, and I was literally trying to find the state *driving* center in order to activate my new license.  Instead, I was on my flip phone from the road, in hysterics, calling my husband at work, where he was able to see me through my plight (he followed where I was headed via an online map at his computer).

Sad but true, I even missed more than a few turns about 15 years ago, leading me to almost missing my late grandmother’s funeral. Stressful? You bet!!

Factoring in parental responsibilities, I added distraction to the equation and was that harried mom on her way to work when I suddenly heard a small voice pipe up from the backseat: “Is this the way to school?”

(Insert shocked face emoji here.)

A horrified glance into rear view mirror…fast forwarding to 15 minutes later…standing at the attendance office with my two bewildered children, face warm with a combination of embarrassment and literal rushing, explaining why they are late for school: “…because I was on autopilot, headed into rush hour traffic.” Almost an exact repeat of the day before (minus attempting taking them into work), as I stood there facing the same attendance lady and detailing how our bad morning had surpassed even the ruckus of the morning late bell.

This gentle woman–I’ll never forget–with all the kindness a person who had every reason to judge and condemn a mom in this situation, looked up at me and smiled. Then, briefly lowering her head, wrote on their classrooms’ admittance sheets: “wrong turn.”

Now an avid “Google Maps” follower using its navigation system I have lovingly dubbed as my “Little Lady in the Phone,” I rarely have those issues. Admittedly, I also have my teenage daughters co-piloting for me, and reading the turn-by-turn directions aloud.

Still, a few weeks ago, I was reminded of how even the best of human systems (aka “navigation”) can have a blip now and again, but maybe it’s not all bad. In fact, in this case, it was refreshing.

You see, there was a little pocket in the internet connection. A slight hesitation in the step-by-step directions meant that I would be staying in the right lane, instead of moving toward the middle lane, in order to keep heading straight.

It was a gorgeous sunny late summer afternoon. I was driving my older teen daughter home from a meeting, and this right hand turn meant that we would be driving past a prominent lake and reservoir (a different one, as opposed to the one in “the neighborhood” how many years ago lol). It was then that the spontaneous side of me looked at her and, knowing this day we were not due back at any particular time, asked, “You want to stop and take a little walk here?”

Without hesitation she responded, “Why not?!” and we had the most lovely 15 minute stroll down by the water, walking along the trail admiring the 75-degree weather and  surrounding wildflowers.

In this case, I can honestly say that maybe sometimes we all need a little “wrong turn” in our lives. Inconvenient as it may be, it might be just what we need to slow us down a bit from busy schedules and to-do lists, and allow us to appreciate the present moment just a little bit more.