I am, or rather was, a good parallel parker. But just about a week ago, I was parking and I started thinking about it and then I couldn’t do it (if that makes sense). Before when I parallel parked, I just kind of did it, but now my mind is just filled with thinking about the process: am I too close to the car, did I start my cut too early, are those hipsters watching me park, how the hell does Domku stay in business, should I start turning the wheel back the other way, etc., etc.
Is this an aging thing? I’m 45. Will it come back, or should I just move to an assisted living community where everyone drives around in golf carts? Tell me I’m not alone.
I now hit my head with doors when I open them occasionally to my astonishment. Apparently gaging distance of things in relation to my body is beginning to fail [del]me[/del] my head, shoulders and knees. Ouch.
As for thinking too much about the mechanics of doing things… I can’t say.
Occasionally when playing guitar, I’ll be able to lock down a particular groove or pattern without thinking about what I’m doing, but as soon as I start concentrating on what I’m doing, I lose it. Grrr. So, no, you’re not the only one!
When we had a car with a manual transmission, I would sometimes be sitting at a light and realize I didn’t know how to drive the damn thing. Then the light would turn green and physical memory would kick in and off I’d go.
Not sure this is a skill, but when I was nursing my second baby I was having some trouble. They told me to try not to think about it, that that could hinder it. :dubious: Nothing like needing to perform but You better not think about it. lol Gave me a whole new respect for guys when they’re expected to perform…
You could move out to Rockville and never have to parallel park again. Just kidding. I’m 36 and it happens to me as well. I over think the angle and then it takes forever to get into the parking spot.
Nope, doesn’t have to do with age. It’s happened to me in athletic performances and bedroom stuff too (in addition to parallel parking). That stuff needs to be muscle memory, enjoy and simply doing it without being conscious of what you’re doing right now.
Like most drivers, I can easily keep my car centered in the middle of my lane. But only if I don’t think about it. Every now and then I’ll start thinking about it, and then say to myself, “Where are my wheels? Are my left wheels too close to the yellow line? Are my right wheels too close to the curb? Is my car in the center?” And before I know it, I’m not in the center anymore.
When I was younger I never could parallel park. Now that I am middle aged, I just somehow do it without thinking about it. I did find that it’s easier to parallel park if I’m on a one-way street and can park on the “wrong” side of the street. Once I tried it that way, now I can usually do it on either side. But if I try a couple of times and it doesn’t work, then I have to just drive away and start at a different spot.
Punching in a phone number - if I think about the number too much I misdial. Easier to enter a frequently dialled number with muscle memory than to have to think. I believe that it’s confusing to have the numbers one way on the computer keypad (lower numbers at the bottom) and a different way on the phone (higher numbers at the bottom).
A friend told me about a variation on meditation. It’s basically a very slow walk, while saying “My left heel is coming off of the floor. The ball of my left foot is coming off of the floor. My left knee is bending. I’m swinging my left calf forward.” Etc.
Usually the next thing I say is “Damn, I forgot how to walk!”
Nothing like needing to perform but You better not think about it. lol Gave me a whole new respect for guys when they’re expected to perform…
Just kidding. I’m 36 and it happens to me as well. I over think the angle and then it takes forever to get into the parking spot.