Need directions around town?

Then just ask my five year old.

Colin was a little delayed getting off of the school bus yesterday. The bus driver glanced up into her mirror and laughingly noted "he's just finishing up chatting." When Colin got off the bus, I asked what he was talking about.

"I was just inviting a new friend to my birthday party. He's eleven. I told him my party is going to be at the Orangeville church. He said he didn't know where that was, so I was just giving him directions."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him that where the bus drops me off, you just turn right down that street until you get to the stop sign. Then you turn left and go to the main street. Then you turn right, and then the first street on your left, you turn there. You drive past Evelyn's house down across the railroad tracks to the stop sign. Then you turn right. At the next stop sign you go straight through. Then you go around the turn and down the hill until you get to the next street light. At the light, you turn right. Then you go just up to the next street light and turn left. Then you drive past the high school and the church is on the left."

And that is exactly how you get to our church from our house. I was astonished. He didn't pause a moment. He recounted the directions staring straight ahead, and used hand gestures to makes his point, and probably to help him "see" the way.

This morning I asked if he chatted with many friends on the bus. He said no, that he usually just likes to sit and look out the window and see where they are going.

He definitely has my sense of direction. He can literally get you to any place around our town. He knows where all our friends live. He can get you to any number of parks or stores. He knows his whole bus route. Yesterday he even asked who was visiting at Grandma and Grandpa's house, because there was a blue van in the driveway when his school bus went past their street.

But, like I said, he comes by it honestly. My dad and I both have amazing senses of direction. Now and then I might reply on it a little too much, like driving to a friend's house last week, with another friend in the car. When we got to the next town, my friend asked what the street name was. I said I didn't know, but I would recognize it when I saw it. I had taken a quick look at a map of the town and where her house was, and then relied on my memory and sense of direction to get me there. I bet she was impressed (and relieved!) when I wound my way around the neighbourhood with ease right to her house!