As I was writing my blog post about my mandolin, I started laughing as I described the frustration of trying to get all the pieces back in place. It reminded of a similar experience I’d had many years ago with Ma during a visit home.
Ma was enrolled in a recipe club, where bunches of recipe cards were periodically sent to her. This was really interesting to me, so she handed me all the cards she had so far. I flipped through them all, copying down a couple of them to bring home.
When I was done, Ma asked me to put them back in their hard plastic card box that was included with the subscription. I picked up the now empty box and tried to put the cards in, but they didn’t fit – they were too wide.
Ma was laughing at my inability to do this task and suggested I turn them. I didn’t see how that would help, but I did as she asked, and I turned them … 180 degrees … and they still didn’t fit.
She was laughing really hard at this point. Anyone who didn’t know me would have thought I was being obstinate (or trying to be funny), but Ma was used to how my brain worked. When she could catch her breath enough to speak, she suggested I try turning them a little bit at a time until they fit in the box. Slowly I turned them, testing to see if they fit. When I got to where I’d turned them 90 degrees, they fit!
I was relieved to have them back in the box. I could also then see what she’d meant when she said to try them in the other way. That is when I started laughing, too.
Yup, it is more than a little scary in my brain.
Does anyone else have major issues with spatial relations? Or Recipes: Which do you prefer – Hard copy or on your computer?
Grown Up, Now What? 