Directional Issues

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I was wondering if anyone else experiences this or I'm just off. So I was raised and born in California. And most people count with their pointer finger first, but I have always counted with my thumb first...since that's the first finger on the hand. My parents always thought that was weird since most foreigners count with their thumb.

But what I really wanted to ask if anyone else suffers from directional issues? Sometimes I think inverted, up is down and down is up. Left becomes right and right becomes left.

Verbal left & right. I always add the hand motion to saying left or right. Most of the time I will think left but I'll say right and vice versa. Unless I stop and take a minute to consider my words and actions first.

Is this the kind of thing you meant?

Me too! I'm SO terrible with direction. I like to look at the stars a lot and lots of times, when I finally look back down I feel like I'm going to fall, because the sky had become "down" to me.
I lived in San Francisco for a total of almost 5 years (I live close to it now, but just moved out of the actual city) and I can FINALLY make my way around without getting totally lost. 2 years ago, I wanted to walk to Japantown and buy a cake for my dad's birthday. Every time before, I would leave from my apartment and go to Japantown, but this time I had been further downtown at my school's office. Because I left from a different starting point, I couldn't remember the city at all. What should have been a 2.5 mile, 45 minute walk (uphill, urghh) turned into a 4 hour disaster! I went right when I should have gone left, then I went right again to try to fix my mistake, and ended up in Chinatown on the other side of the city. It was freaking HOT outside and at the time I was pretty out of shape. San Francisco whipped my butt into shape by now though... anyway, I kept walking and walking, just knowing I recognised things around me but kept taking wrong turns. I ended up on a street that is at about a 30 degree angle for blocks and blocks. By this time I didn't even know how to get back home and I didn't know how to use the bus system. I had been lost on that before, too. I sat in the middle of the sidewalk. It was a quiet, empty area so no one was walking by me or anything. This old couple came out of a nearby condo and pulled out their car, then the woman got out and came over and asked me if I was okay. I told her I was lost, explained my bad sense of direction, and they were so nice, I couldn't believe it but they actually drove me to my destination. I was about 20 blocks away. It was very embarrassing, but I was really inspired to meet people that were so nice. They didn't know me and they let me in their car. So I got my dad's cake, then I proceeded to get lost on my way back. I ended up calling my mom so she could help me call a cab. Failure.

I also say left when I mean right and vice versa when giving directions. I have to wave my arm to make sure people know which way I mean. The one I do most often is say right when I mean left. My mom knows by now that there is "right" and "the other way" or "the other right" hahah. It kind of makes my head feel foggy to try and give directions!

Ahh maps, so so helpful. I kinda do what you do reading them, I have my own way of internally explaining it to myself without using standard directional words or ideas. I'm not sure how I do it though because I haven't thought to describe it. What you do sounds different than me, it's interesting!

I forgot to comment on finger counting. If I'm counting I'll start with my thumb, and if I'm indicating the number I counted to someone I'll hold up my hand with my palm facing me so they see the back of my hand. But it's weird, I don't know why, if I'm holding up a number with my fingers but I didn't first use my fingers to count it, I'll do it the other way, starting with my index, and holding my hand palm facing outward. The only exception I think is 1 and 2. I always use my index for 1, and index and middle for 2. But for counting, it would feel strange to start with my index finger because it's easiest to count in a row.

And yeah, more countries start with their thumbs anyway, so it's not too weird and it makes more sense.