Where Did I Park?

Do you ever do this? Park your car, go inside a store, then come out and realize you have no idea where you left your vehicle? For me, this is a frequent occurrence.

Yesterday, for example, I parked and went inside the store to grab a few groceries. I usually make a mental note of where my car is just so I can avoid the embarrassing event of getting lost in search for it, but this time the parking lot was relatively empty so I knew there would be no chance of forgetting where my car was.

When I came out I was thinking over my mild guilt at never having any loose change to donate to the bell ringers who stand outside of shopping centers this time of year. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, but was absent mindedly headed in the right direction, flipping through my keys so I would be ready to unlock the door the moment I got to the car. I had been walking towards a grey mass that, from my peripheral vision, I had assumed was my truck. When my eyes zeroed in on it I had a sudden moment of recognition that this was, in fact, not my truck, rather, one that did not resemble it in any way except the color.

I stopped short and had that flash of awkwardness, thinking that now I was going to have to make an about face and go search out the truck that was really mine. I did it quickly, hoping to draw as little attention to my blunder as possible, before I located my vehicle, jumped inside and sped away.

Unfortunately, this is merely one of many such happenings.

I’m not sure why I can't ever remember where I’ve parked when I come out of a store. Whenever I exit a building, I begin walking, in bold confidence, to where I know I’ve parked the car, only to find that it is indeed not where I’ve parked the car. I then end up wandering frantically through the lot, hoping that I can find it before too much attention is drawn to the girl in the red coat who is aimless pushing a shopping cart around, up and down the rows.

I don’t quite know how to solve this problem. Obviously, my method of mentally marking my parking space is not working. Perhaps some type of tracking device attached to the car would work. Or maybe homing pigeons. Although, that could get messy.