Uninformed

Posted on October 19, 2005 by Matt Todd

Last night, I went to a funeral home in Kingsport because a friend’s father-in-law recently passed away. I found the address for said funeral home very easily, called up the directions with Mapquest, and was on my merry way.

So I thought.

I left at 6:45 p.m. It should have taken me 25 minutes (tops) to reach the funeral home from my house. It took me almost an hour to get there because Mapquest provided the wrong directions! Being the good male that I am, I did not immediately stop and ask for directions. I drove up and down the same street for close to a half an hour, trying to find the secret hidden gate that would lead me to the funeral home. Eventually, I gave in and asked the front desk clerk at the Days Inn for directions. Unbeknownst to me, I was merely one block away from my destination by that point. You see, Mapquest said to turn right onto the main street when it really meant left.

So, I pull into the parking lot at close to 7:50. I knew visitation (calling? viewing? what is the “official” term for it?) was over at 8, and I didn’t want to miss seeing my friend and expressing my condolences. I rushed into the building and walked into the chapel. Everyone was sitting down and no one was up near the casket of the deceased. “How strange,” I thought. “It’s a viewing and everyone’s sitting down like they’re getting ready for a church service.” All of the viewings I’ve been to involved a lot of talking, and hugging, since they become occasions for mini family reunions. There was none of that. Just some sniffles and a quiet murmur. It was unlike any viewing I’d ever been to before.

Then it hit me.

I knew the funeral was at 8, but I just assumed it was at 8 this morning, not last night. By the time I realized what was going on, the service had begun and it really didn’t seem appropriate for me to leave at that point. So, I got to sit through a nice funeral service for a man whom I’d never met and really had no connection to whatsoever.

Good thing I wore a tie.

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Matt Todd

Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"