It didn’t add up

Back in the day, I was very active in martial arts. I trained 4-5 days a week; I competed at the local, regional and national level; and I was a tournament center judge. When I retired, I was a third-degree black belt in taekwondo.

Most regional tournaments were close enough I could drive. One competition was about four-hours  away in a neighboring state. To get to the venue, I had to pass through Thomasville, Georgia.

I’m embarrassed to say that I got lost in a town that was only 15-square miles. It was like being sucked into Alice’s Wonderland. No matter where I turned I could not find my way out of town. The directional signage in town was no help. I was frantic. (This was about eight years ago, before I had a GSP, and MapQuest was the go-to for route assistance.)

At my most desperate moment, I saw a fire station. I parked in the adjacent lot and walked over to the firefighter standing in the engine bay. For future reference, always ask the man in uniform for help.

I told him I had been trying for an hour to leave Thomasville. I had to get out of that city and could he please help me. He chuckled and said lots of people felt the same way. He gave me outstanding directions, and I was finally back on my way.

The upside to that trip was that I placed second in Forms and Weapons at the tournament, and was given a Judging Award.

I took a different way home.