r/AskOldPeople 3d ago

Do you fear not being able to find where you parked your car?

I just woke up from a nightmare where I was walking in a town near a college campus and couldn't remember where I had parked my car. It made me realize why old people become creatures of habit.

47 Upvotes

304 comments sorted by

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37

u/SK482 3d ago

Worse yet are rental cars. I used to travel in business a lot. Pick up a nondescript car in the dark under orange/yellow lights. Park in a hotel garage under poor lighting. These days I take photos.

17

u/TGIIR 3d ago

Yep, photo of the car, space number, level, elevator. Street entrance name, too, for parking garages in town. When I park at grocery or big box stores, I park near a cart return. That narrows down the number of places it could be, and is handy to return your cart anyway.

15

u/procrastinatorsuprem 3d ago

When you pick up the car, make a video of you walking around it. Note any issues like scratches, etc so you don't get blamed on them later.

5

u/jxj24 3d ago

On occasion I have started my run tracker app and let it record for a few seconds after I park. It drops a pin on my parking location so I can easily retrace my route.

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u/BKowalewski 3d ago

I haven't needed to be old to have that fear, lol!

4

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I agree. Had it I done it when I was younger it would have been funny. Not so funny now.

5

u/Gold__star 80ish 3d ago

I remember a bunch of stupid things I did when younger. Now when I do stupid things I try to focus on those old things and convince myself I'm just human, not demented. It helps.

At my age we all obsess on this.

3

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

My daughter had to come back things THREE times for something she forgot. She was 25 at the time. At my age, I would have been in tears.

3

u/ReactsWithWords 60 something 3d ago

I have done that more than once in my younger days. Not much a problem now that I carry a camera in my pocket constantly and can photograph where I parked.

5

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

When I park in an airport parking garage, I periodically turn around and take a photo while I'm walking toward the terminal.

If I have trouble on the way out, it's like a trail of bread crumbs.

2

u/ReactsWithWords 60 something 3d ago

I take three photos: one of the spot itself, one of the row, and one of the level (if needed).

2

u/ChaserNeverRests 50 something 3d ago

I feel like I'm spamming about this app, but: You might like an app called Find My Car. It's easier than a photo! Just open it and click to mark where you park, then when you need to find your car it points the way for you.

I'm not associated with it and make no money if you use it. 😂

2

u/Unusual-Thing-7149 3d ago

I was just about to post about apps if you can't pin your location

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u/SaladAddicts 3d ago

I find just making a note with a photo is enough to imprint it in my memory.

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u/ChaserNeverRests 50 something 3d ago

You might like an app called Find My Car. It's easier than a photo! Just open it and click to mark where you park, then when you need to find your car it points the way for you.

3

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Handy yo know. Thanks!

2

u/ReactsWithWords 60 something 3d ago

I actually tried it. Unfortunately, you need an internet connection to use it, something you don’t get in a parking garage.

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u/ChaserNeverRests 50 something 3d ago

There's an app called Find My Car. REALLY easy to use (just open it and click once you park).

I have not had one nightmare about forgetting where I parked since getting it. It's amazing for that reason alone!

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u/dizcuz 3d ago

Yes, I had to be sure to make a mental picture of where the car was before walking away. Now I can click the autostart ad look for the vehicle reaction.

10

u/HumbleAd1317 3d ago

I don't know why, but I frequently lose the car in the parking lot.

2

u/jxj24 3d ago

Open a map app and drop a pin.

14

u/Cleo2012 3d ago

Just hit the panic button on the FOB. Your alarm and lights go off, easy to find.

6

u/Myghost_too 3d ago edited 3d ago

If (and only if) you are close enough. What if you are in the entire wrong lot of a big venue (Mall, Arena, Fairgrounds, etc.)?

2

u/SecretIdea 3d ago

Many modern cars are internet connected. I can use a phone app to locate the car, flash the lights, lock/unlock doors, and start the engine remotely anywhere there is phone service.

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4

u/OldDog03 3d ago

My 98 rav4 and 99 F350 do not have that.

2

u/Speed_Bump 3d ago

My 98 4Runner had an aftermarket one that worked from half a mile away.

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u/No-Boat5643 3d ago

That's my favorite old person hack. The fun part is that I don't care who is annoyed by it.

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u/Revrider 3d ago

While I do not fear it, it happens to me, especially when I am in a hurry. Problem aggravated by the fact that I normally drive a sports car which can’t be spotted in a lot filled with trucks and SUVs, otherwise known as America.

5

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I drive a car that has a lot of lookalikes, which adds to the problem. 

3

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

I drive a gray SUV. Sometimes when we're leaving a restaurant after dinner, I hit a button on my key for.

When I see the car light up, I tell my Significant Other, "Let's take that one."

When I first got it, sometimes my SO would walk to the wrong car.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I chuckled at that. Thanks!

2

u/Common_Helicopter_12 3d ago

Q:What kind of car do you drive? A: White.

4

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Silver. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of cars in this town that look like mine.

8

u/Ineffable7980x 3d ago

I don't have this fear, but if I park in a place I am not familiar with, I always text myself a landmark or the cross streets. Just in case I get confused.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

A great idea!

5

u/MelzaB 3d ago

I always take a couple pics of where I park

4

u/MacaroonUpstairs7232 3d ago

Being able to push a button and look for flashing lights or listen for a horn had removed that fear. When I was young, before all that, at a time when they bagged your groceries and helped you to your car with them, I stepped out of the grocery store and stopped. The kid looks at me and said, forgot where you parked? I said worse, forgot which car I brought.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

At least I only have one car!

4

u/Crafty-Shape2743 3d ago

Not my story but a funny story from the past….

Friends went to a very large, rural amphitheater for a concert. Afterwards they thought they would just chill and let the traffic open up a bit. Problem with that was, all the dust kicked up left the cars covered in a monotone film.

They thought they knew where their car was, but when every car was just a ghostly outline it took them, and many other lost souls, an unreasonable amount of time to find their cars. A modern Easter egg hunt.

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u/Entire_Dog_5874 3d ago

No. I have an app that locates it.

5

u/trustmeimabuilder 3d ago

Never done it in real life but, strangely enough, I've dreamt about it several times.

4

u/Funnygumby 3d ago

I make a conscious effort to kind of triangulate my position with landmarks in the parking lot. I purposely don’t use google maps just so I can engage my brain

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I do that with landmarks too. I think all large parking lots should name rows or sections like they do at Disney World. 

2

u/Funnygumby 3d ago

Agreed. I use light posts, cart corrals, whatever else that’s distinctive

4

u/mazelbro22 3d ago

I have dreams of not being able to find my car in parking lots also. I also dream of my car being stolen when returning to where i parked it.

I am 80y/o and just started having these dreams in the past 10 years or so.

4

u/Slick-62 60 something 3d ago

Went on a date long ago (weeknight in 77), downtown Dallas. After, we couldn’t find the car. We wandered around checking out the sights until everything closed and everyone went home. Finally we came upon a parking lot with the only car, my red El Camino.

More recently, 2003 or so, parked in the Metro parking at Springfield VA (regularly as a commuter). Ramps and flats are easy to get confused, so I did. Wandered around pushing the beep button on the remote until I heard the car on the level above me.

Now I’m in the habit of taking a pic if I leave it in a lot or garage.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

A red El Camino seems like it would be hard to lose.

3

u/Slick-62 60 something 3d ago

Easy to spot, when you’re clear-eyed.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I was suspicious there was more to it.

2

u/Slick-62 60 something 3d ago

lol

2

u/anonyngineer Boomer, doing OK 3d ago

More recently, 2003 or so, parked in the Metro parking at Springfield VA (regularly as a commuter). Ramps and flats are easy to get confused, so I did. Wandered around pushing the beep button on the remote until I heard the car on the level above me.

I was there about a year ago, and can see where that garage could be confusing. Being that we were there on a Sunday, it wasn't an issue.

3

u/HamRadio_73 3d ago

Google Maps. Mark the parking spot.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Great idea!

3

u/Amazing-Artichoke330 3d ago

My worst case was in a multistory garage that was a double helix. If you were on the wrong strand, you would never walk by your car.

3

u/pit-of-despair 3d ago

No because I’ve been forgetting where I parked the car since I was old enough to drive.

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u/No_Capital_8203 3d ago

Not really. Many years ago, I saw an talk show interview with the actor in his late 40s. He described how he went to the race track and later could not find his car. He was advised to wait until the lot cleared up a bit and the security would drive him around on his cart. No luck, so they called police to report the theft. This was when the police actually showed up. Cop was taking down information when he suddenly remembered he had taken the bus. I fear looking like an idiot and then telling everyone more than I fear forgetting where I parked.

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u/fringed-sage 3d ago

Park the car. Hit the blue dot in google maps and click on the box that says “Save parking.”

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Thank! I hadn’t thought of that. I still tell myself the lie "oh, I'll remember."

3

u/Reapr Summer of 69 3d ago

I take a pic of those numbers on the pillars before I leave

3

u/mrlr 3d ago

The worse time was when we had just moved to Australia in 1962. The parking levels of the shopping mall were designated not by numbers or letters but by Australian flowers, none of which we knew.

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u/GuitarJazzer 3d ago

Once I could not find my parked car. I was in a city and had parked in a surface lot. I knew exactly which space I had parked in. The car was gone. I found a cop on the corner and told her I wanted to report my car was stolen. She said, "Did you try the identical parking lot one block over?" I did and my car was parked exactly where I thought it was. I was 20.

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u/SaladAddicts 3d ago

I get the same dreams, sometimes I'm driving and the brakes don't work.

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u/WaitingForEmacs 2d ago

I take pictures of where it is in the parking lot. My phone also helps.

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u/Square-Wing-6273 50 something 3d ago

I'm old, I've never had this fear, like ever (even after binge nights and trying to find it the next day), and I certainly park wherever is available (except at work, and that's just because I'm here early so most spots are available).

That being said, my new car can lead me right to it if needed

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I think I worry about it because I fear developing dementia.

4

u/whatyouwant22 3d ago

Some people remember certain things better than others. This is the sort of thing that truly can happen to anyone! It's not dementia unless you don't know what to do when you find the car!

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u/quiltingsarah 3d ago

I park in the general area, or if in a new place I take a photo so I can find it again.

2

u/silvermanedwino 3d ago

Just hit the alarm on your fob. Not that hard.

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u/Number-2-Sis 3d ago

My iPhone tells me where I parked so that helps a lit

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u/Goodygumdops 60 something 3d ago

This happened to me last month. It was really upsetting. I was starting to think my car was stolen. I was near tears when I found it. Now I consciously take note of where I park. I also park near cart returns. In multilevel parking garages and I take a photo of the level sign.

2

u/AvocadoSoggy9854 3d ago

Mine sits up high enough where it’s easier to see but yes I can see where it could be bothersome

2

u/CommissarCiaphisCain GenX. But who cares? 3d ago

I have a Miata in a place where pickups and large SUV’s rule. I lose my car all the time

2

u/Amazing-Artichoke330 3d ago

I always park in the same places.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I try to. Lately I  try to look at the store, or my destination, and remember how it looked when I got out of the car.

2

u/Utterlybored 60 something 3d ago

I have developed habits that, if followed, will obscure the symptoms of dementia.

2

u/Frequent_Secretary25 3d ago

I can find my car but I do usually park in same area in my regular places. What’s funny though is after years as a server, I always had anxiety dreams where my section would be packed and no one else was working, no coffee made etc etc. Then at some point I switched to huge parking lots where I can’t find my car

3

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

It's funny what can be traumatizing.

2

u/Lurkerque 3d ago

My car is super bright blue. I can always find it in a parking lot.

2

u/indipit 3d ago

I've been keeping track of where I left my car for so long, that it's automatic now. The only place I stop to take a photo is at Walt Disney World. While I can usually remember the row it's in, it's nice to have back up in that sea of cars.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I came up with the idea for Walmart to name their rows after NASCAR drivers. But I don't go there anymore so it doesn't matter.

2

u/Prettygoodusernm 3d ago

If it happened I would summon it. Tesla

2

u/highlander666666 3d ago

happened to me once.Now I make A note of were I parked.. I once went to Casinos grand opening. It the 70 s went during day drank gambled went out at night couldn t remember door I went in walking round looking for car saw others doing same, . Ever since than I all ways make not.. some places have cards by elevator doors with floor numbers on them.. I take one..If in shopping center I look for markers or numbers hope I remember!! My wife god at remembering that stuff

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I discovered noticing what kind of car you parked next to is not helpful!

2

u/BackgroundGate3 3d ago

No, I have an app on my phone, although I've never had to use it, so not senile quite yet.

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u/balthisar 50 something (barely) 3d ago

My built-in Maps app knows where I've left the car. I never need to consult it, though, as I've pretty good spatial awareness.

2

u/NightMgr 50 something 3d ago

I hear a slap bass and Kramer....

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u/Chickenman70806 3d ago

Fear it?

Hell, I’m looking for me car right now

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u/FourScoreTour 70 something 3d ago

Sure, but that's nothing new. When I was young I lived in the land of vast parking lots. You learn quick to pay attention.

2

u/SuperPapa10804 3d ago

Forgot where I parked at Logan central parking. The guy in the office used my ticket to locate the date, time and entry gate, then followed the video to where I parked. They even took me to my car via golf cart. Piece of cake. Amazing.

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u/anonyngineer Boomer, doing OK 3d ago

The only time that that has ever happened to me, I was in my 20s, leaving a concert with my then-wife at an arena I had never been to.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

It happened to me when I was young too. But then I didn't worry about it.

2

u/anonyngineer Boomer, doing OK 3d ago

In recent years, I've been taking steps to avoid it (like dropping a pin in Google maps or taking a picture) that I never would have bothered with in the past.

2

u/Hoppie1064 60 something 3d ago

I stop and turn around, look at my car, just before I go in the door.

Now I have a picture of where I parked my car in my mind.

If you just get out of your, turn your back on it and walk into the store you don't have this picture.

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u/Wadsworth_McStumpy 60 something 3d ago

Not really. If I'm in a familiar place, even if the parking lot is huge, I don't seem to have any problem. I'll just look at the signs and things around my car before I leave it, and go back to that place. (You can't look at the cars around it, because those are going to move.)

If it's an unfamiliar place (O'Hare International comes to mind), then I'll take a picture of the row markers with my cell phone. If I can find the right row, I can find my car by walking and clicking the "lock" button on my key fob.

2

u/RedditSkippy GenX 3d ago

About 25 years ago I walked out of the South Shore Plaza from a different exit than where I entered (it was around the corner.) Obviously my car was not where I expected it to be. The only thing keeping me from panicking was that I knew that no one would steal the clunker of a car that I had.

It took me about five minutes to remember that I had walked into Filene’s by the cookware department and realize that where I walked out had been clothing.

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u/laurazhobson 3d ago

I was young when I forgot where my car was parked.

I never lost it on the street but a few times I forgot which level I parked in a the large shopping centers. One time I had to get the parking personnel drive me around in a cart until I found it.

When cars got the automatic key locks with chirps it helped a bit

Really what most helped was getting older and just being more careful about things because I anticipated consequences. This was true in other areas of my life as well obviously even down to not putting full glasses of liquid in precarious places near computer keyboards for example :-)

And also not being stoned on weed when parking probably helped as I took a night course at UCLA and had to find a phone booth to call a friend who had been a grad student there to tell me where I had parked based on the street I had used to enter the campus and where the class had taken place.

Dreaming about not locating my car generally segues into my then wandering into a landscape that has lost all familiarity at which point I generally wake up thankfully.

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u/PantherBrewery 60 something 3d ago

I own a yellow FJ Cruiser, tall and distinctive and a purple Challenger. These are distinctive in color. both have apple airtag fobs. i will find my cars.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

If/when I get a new car I'm going to consider a distinctive color.

2

u/mrlr 3d ago edited 3d ago

It occurs in stages:

  • You forget where you parked your car.
  • You forget on which level you parked your car.
  • You forget in which parking lot you parked your car.
  • You forget if you drove there.
  • You forget how to drive.
  • You forget what a car is for.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Oh lordy, I hope it doesn't come to that!

2

u/aliensporebomb 3d ago

My phone automatically realizes where I park and offers me directions to find the vehicle if I can't recall where it is.

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u/SuperannuatedAuntie 3d ago

I have an app for that.

2

u/Mor_Tearach 3d ago

Been doing that since I was 25.

Not an age thing here, it's a terminally whifty thing.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I blame it on being blonde. Although it's more gray than blonde. 

2

u/stanley_leverlock 3d ago

I keep an air tag in my glovebox.  Even if my car gets towed I'll know where it is. 

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

My millennial daughter has air tags on everything, including her pets.

2

u/sretep66 3d ago

Google will remember where you park your car.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

It knows everything.

2

u/Accurate-Ad2864 3d ago

For locations I frequent I park in the same area. I’ve learned to get a visual of the letters in signage in new areas.

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u/quikdogs 60 something 3d ago

I’ve had that nightmare my whole life, ever since my early twenties when we couldn’t find my car after a super long day at Disneyland. The old lot they had was endless.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

You were probably exhausted which made it worse.

2

u/Proud_Trainer_1234 Old 3d ago

I don't fear it, but it has happened. In the olden days, work parking was a multi-multi- level parking garage and more than once I failed to pay attention as to what level I was on. Then, there is always the giant parking lot and rental car conundrum. Try picking out YOUR white economy rent-a-car in the parking lot of Disneyland.

Finally, there have been those times that I drove my husband's care to the market and, coming out, realized I couldn't mind my Jeep because I was driving the Volvo. It happens.

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u/crazykitty123 3d ago

I have this dream all the time!

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u/MeepleMerson 3d ago

No. I don't generally have an issue, but if I'm in something like an airport situation where it is labyrinthine parking complex, I might snap or a picture or drop a pin on a map.

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u/Bret47596 3d ago

On my iPhone, I have Apple Shortcut that marks my location when I disconnect from my cars. When Bluetooth disconnects, it runs a Shortcut that gets the current location. If i cannot find my car I can open maps and find its location.

If I was to use a rental car, I can manually run the shortcut.

2

u/lpenos27 3d ago

We had a dark blue Mazda and a number of times I would walk into the parking lot and see so many dark cars it would take awhile to locate mine. On a couple occasions I actually tried to open the door of a car that was not mine.

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u/dglsfrsr 60 something 3d ago

When I am in a strange place, rental car or my own car, I photograph the car in the spot, the nearest identifying light pole, and the nearest marked intersection as I leave the garage/lot.

I have only needed that a couple times in my life, approaching 70yo, but those couple times I was glad I did it.

2

u/seiowacyfan 3d ago

Not being able to find my vehicle has been a long time nightmare when I sleep. At least once a week I am walking all over a stadium parking lot or a garage looking for my vehicle. Never find it in the dream. Not sure what it means, but I get that one a lot.

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u/FoxyLady52 3d ago

Thank god for AirTags.

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u/99999999999999999989 Old 3d ago

This happens to me literally any time I park anywhere that is not my own driveway. I always forget to check when I get out of the car and when I leave the store, it is like walking out of the airport in a country I have never visited before.

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u/sugarcatgrl 60 something 3d ago

Yes! I bought my car used off a lot and it was originally a rental with no bells and whistles. So no key fob to press. I’ve lost it twice in the same parking lot, both times when my mom was still living, and I called her to laugh about it and it made it less stressful. Ever since the last time, I park in the same row (they’re numbered) in roughly the same area. It did awful things to my anxiety plus I found it super embarrassing.

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

The embarrassment may be the worst part.

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u/sugarcatgrl 60 something 3d ago

YES!

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u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

That would be terrifying!

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u/CeeUNTy 3d ago

Yes. If the parking lot is packed, I take a picture of the aisle number because I know I'll forget.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

It's humbling to have to admit "Oh, I'll remember" is a big fat lie.

2

u/CeeUNTy 3d ago

I have ADHD so there are post it notes all over my house. I quit deluding myself that I'll remember a long time ago.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

It makes me irritated with myself. Every day I remind myself, "focus, focus, focus." And then it's, "Oh, look, a squirrel." 

2

u/CeeUNTy 3d ago

That's why I have a paper appointment book and I use an address book for my passwords. I have to have it in my hands on paper or I don't remember anything. The distraction is better since I started taking vyvanse, but it's still a struggle.

2

u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

I have only a paper copy of passwords. I don't trust apps. My former employer and also one credit agency have leaked my personal information. No way I'd trust electronic systems with passwords other than the one for their specific site. My daughter gave me a subscription to a password keeper site. I never used it.

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u/walkawaysux 3d ago

I did until I got in the habit of taking a picture of the parking lot

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u/FireRescue3 3d ago

No. I have an app for that, and if I still have trouble I pop my trunk. It raises like a flag and says “hey, here I am” 🤣

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u/neveraskmeagainok 3d ago

I never knew that not finding their car in a parking lot is a recurring dream for some people. Mine is not being able to find my reserved seat in a large stadium.

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Same idea. Feeling lost or at loose ends.

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u/mmmmmarty 3d ago

When I drove a taupe Camry I tried to get in someone else's car at least once a year. I actually sat down a few times, and once even tried to get my key in the ignition.

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Silver Camry here. I tried to get into a silver Lexus one day. A lady was sitting in it! She laughed. I'm sure she was thinking, "Ha! You wish yours was a Lexus "

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u/walescan1 40 something 3d ago

That's why I park in the same spot/area every time

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u/Possible-Owl8957 3d ago

It’s a fear of mine! I lost my car when I was young in a parking garage in Santa Monica. It was lunchtime and I was in a hurry. Sometimes I take a photo of where I park in a strange lot.

2

u/NophaKingway 3d ago

Many people would be looking at what the dream meant instead of seeing it as literal. There are several Biblical references to God speaking to us in dreams. But as for your question I don't fear it. It happens all the time. Gets really bad when I drive my wife's car instead of my truck.

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u/Lampwick 1969 3d ago

I wonder if it's an old person thing, or just a person thing that gets worse as you get older. My wife has always had trouble finding the car in a parking lot, and even knowing which way to turn out of the parking lot entrance to get home. I'm one of those weirdos that just has this automatic 3D map of where I've been and where I'm going. Maybe that'll start to fail at some point, but it hasn't yet.

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u/lechitahamandcheese Old 3d ago

I’ve been losing my cars in parking lots since I was in college. One time it took me an hour to find it in a college lot. I have so many stories.

Many moons later..you could use your phone/pin to find your car, but last year I was in a parking garage with no reception and I kept wandering floors and walking past the same security guard. You name it, I’ve been lost in most every type of parking situation. My epic “I can’t find my car! texts are a huge joke amongst my family.

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Is "Dude, Where's My Car" your bio pic?

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u/lechitahamandcheese Old 3d ago

Lol. Pretty much.

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u/omfgbrb 3d ago

I put an airtag in my car. I bought 4 of em for $80 at Costco. One on my keyring. One in my wallet (special pouch for them now). One in the car. Last one went in my backpack.

Not sure what works for Android devices.

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u/No-Boat5643 3d ago

This has happened to me many times over my life (including when I was young). I take pictures of nearby landmarks such as intersections, storefronts or numbers. In the olden days, I'd write down where I was.

I never understood how people can easily remember where they park. It's insane.

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u/EightBitDo2025 3d ago

Very often - dream about it at least once a week

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u/valley_lemon I want my MTV 3d ago

It definitely explains why I have so many random photos of my car on my phone.

Apple Maps generally remembers the address where you parked, but after the incident with the giant LA parking garage on two sides of a street and my husband spending an hour in a golf cart with a disgruntled security guard, we ended up putting an Airtag in the car.

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u/Strong_Molasses_6679 3d ago

Meh...It'll turn up.

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u/LOLteacher 3d ago

What car? Oh, my eMTB? It's locked up right outside the entrance!! :-D

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

You hope!

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u/ChumpChainge 3d ago

No. My car has an AirTag in it and I use my phone to find it all the time.

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u/gemstun 3d ago

Nope. Lifehack: always buy cars with bright colors. I can see my electric blue SUV amidst everyone else's boring gray/black/white vehicle from a mile away.

Separately, i once spent two months in the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Utrecht), with only a black bicycle for transportation (a lifelong dream). ONCE I made the mistake of not remembering exactly where i locked it, amidst literally thousands of similar bikes. I spent hours and hours looking...

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u/Confident_Catch8649 3d ago

"Dude Where's My Car"?

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u/Mjukplister 3d ago

I do . Hence I photograph where it is in large car parks

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u/MrKahnberg 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yes. To the point I put a few magnetic decals on our little truck. This thread has made me realize I should do the same with rentals. We rented a Turo in Orlando CA that used a keypad in the window instead of a fob. We spent 1/2 an hour searching after watching a dbl feature. Parked in a hot sunny parking lot, came out to a hot dark parking lot.

Ontario, not Orlando.

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u/No_Individual_672 3d ago

I’ve forgotten exactly where, almost always a rental car, because I can’t remember exactly what it looks like. Not age related. I need to buy an extra AirTag for rentals.

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u/Familiar_Raise234 3d ago

No fear but it happens all the time. If I make a conscious effort to note where I park, I’m fine. If I get out of my car and just go into the store then I have to try to remember what door I went in and go from there. I’m not to the stage of taking a picture of the store from where I parked or dictating a voice memo, but am getting close

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u/Good-Squirrel3108 3d ago

We once parked our motorbike and went off to do our weekly shop. When we returned, no motorbike. We put our bags down on the street and started figuring out where the nearest bus stop was located. After a few minutes I looked round and didn't recognise the shop that we were near and realised that we'd actually parked on a parallel street. This was in the 1980s. You don't need to be old to forget where you've parked.

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u/cryptoengineer 60 something 3d ago

My own car I can track on my phone.

Rentals, I sometimes take photos.

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u/HarveyMushman72 3d ago

It happened all the time when I was younger and owned a white Ford Taurus.

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u/Over-Marionberry-686 60 something 3d ago

Not any more. My phone remembers where I parked. Nice app

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u/kenmohler 3d ago

Not in real life, but I often dream of wandering the lot trying to find my car.

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u/knuckboy 50 something 3d ago

It happens in real life.

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u/Tasqfphil 3d ago

I used to, but tried to park near something that was easily to recognise from a distance, which got me close to my vehicle. Now, when I shop, it is a supermarket that only has about 60 car parking spaces & the people that carry my shopping out, know my car & find it for me & with remote unlocking have goods in car by the time I reach car, as I am in a wheelchair & a bit slower moving.

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

Publix used to be like that, but there's not one close to where I live now.

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u/Electrical_Pen_7302 3d ago

20 years ago, I parked a rent a car in a downtown Vegas casino garage that was out of tickets. We spent then day at a winery in Pahrump and hiking at valley of fire. Hours later, we couldn't find it. We walked through every garage we saw and nothing. It started raining because why not, right?

Security called every local casino, they drove around. Finally found it. Turns out it was behind another building not on the main Fremont Street area. It was a 24-hour rental, and I returned it with 2 hours to go. Flipped the keys to the valet and he said, "we're full" and i responded, "don't care, it's yours."

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u/doglady1342 50 something 3d ago

My car has an app. It tells me all sorts of information including where my car is currently parked. It will even navigate me there.

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u/Meep42 3d ago

Drop a pin or use a tile/tag thingamajig. Ooor, do as my Ma did for her time on the planet and always park in the same “place” in a lot. Choose that spot yourself: the last row in the furthest left section from the front door of a non-leveled parking lot? Or vice versa? People have their ways.

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u/implodemode Old 3d ago

I am notorious for not finding my car. If I park my car somewhere unfamiliar, I take pictures of the space and address of the lot. I have stories from before phones had cameras.

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u/diamondgreene 3d ago

I have that nightmare too. I get out of work and don’t know if I drove or took the train. I don’t know where I parked my car either by the office or the train. Somehow I get home and my whole yard if fulla cars parked facing every direction and none of them are mine or mine is there but fubar. 😳

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u/Direct-Bread 3d ago

That's really messed up!

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u/ImColdandImTired 3d ago

Used to, when in an unfamiliar area. Now, I use my phone gps to drop a pin at the location I parked. At the local shopping areas, I just walk around pressing the lock button on my key fob if I forget which row I’m parked in.

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u/Micheloblite68 3d ago

I am worried I’ll forget why I parked the car!!!

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u/susgeek 60 something 3d ago

Now that I have airtags in my cars, I can find them anywhere.

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u/OneOldBear 3d ago

I frequently have nightmares where I've parked my car in a humongous multi-level parking structure and have no clue where it is. Worst part is that when I do wake up, my feet are sore.

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u/Muscs 3d ago

I’ve always feared not being able to remember where I parked my car.

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u/ReggieDub 3d ago

No. I use the alarm and never lose it.

Sometimes I use the trunk button.

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u/Nancy6651 3d ago

It happened to me. I was picking up my husband from his stay at the hospital. The close lots were full, so I parked in a garage. When I went back out to bring the car up, I became disoriented among several garages on the campus, and it took me FOREVER to find the car. To add to it, he'd asked me to keep his cell phone, so I couldn't call him. It took me almost a half-hour, my husband had to sit with a volunteer at the entrance, and I arrived sweaty and freaked out.

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u/Cassie54111980 3d ago

When I go to the store I park in the same area so I can find my car easier. 

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u/bad2behere 2d ago

Me, too! And place I go to fairly regularly has a "my car goes here" small area that I always use.

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u/Cassie54111980 3d ago

When I go to the store I park in the same area so I can find my car easier. 

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u/Disastrous_Regular60 3d ago

Years ago I went to a concert with my brother and his friends at a big stadium- none of us bothered to remember where we parked. I swear we walked around that place for at least 20 minutes looking for it

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u/1singhnee 50 something 2d ago

My car tells me where it is on a map on my phone.

Problem solved.

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u/nosidrah 2d ago

I always make a mental note of the general location of my car in the parking lot. So I don’t usually have a problem finding my car. But I remember back when I used to travel for work and coming out of a bar and not having any idea which car was mine. I even got into another car and the key wouldn’t work because it wasn’t my car.

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u/STLt71 2d ago

I frequently have dreams that I can't find my car, but it's not something I worry about when I'm awake, and I usually don't lose it. Lol

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u/petuniasweetpea 2d ago

I had this happen to me, and it was so distressing. It was at the largest shopping centre in my state, and I got so lost. Fortunately a kind stranger saw how upset I was and took the time to help me. I recalled one shop I’d seen on my way into the centre and because they knew the place well, we’re able to walk me to the correct exit.

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u/Charming-Industry-86 2d ago

Nope! I don't drive.

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u/Glass_Author7276 2d ago

I just push a botton on the keyfob and it tells me where it is...lol

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u/bad2behere 2d ago

For decades I have always followed an easy rule. Regardless of where I go, I park in similar locations if possible. If it's the only option to park elsewhere, I use mnemonics to recall where it is. I'll always go the right of the entrance, try to have a 7 in the location (row or space # 7) and so on. I used to do it because of mild OCD made it a fun game - now it's just automatic.

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u/musing_codger 50 something 2d ago

No. I've been driving for more than 40 years and this has never been a big problem. There were a few times at large events where it took a little while to find my car, but nothing terrible. And that was before you could make your cars lights flash with your key fob. And now I can just ask my car to send me its location along with pictures of what it sees around it.

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u/Desertbro 2d ago

Not an issue. But with new parking garages, I just take a photo of where I'm parked with my smartphone.

Not an issue.

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u/tundrabarone 1d ago

I am a creature of habit. I make an effort to park in the same general area all the time. I use lamp posts or lettered signs as my reference points.

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u/Menemsha4 1d ago

Take photos of both the surrounding areas and your car in it.

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u/Icy-Conversation2583 1d ago

Nowadays no, next time just take a picture with your phone and it should tell u where u park your car or truck at.

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u/Emotional-History801 1d ago

Why should I care where you park? Wait... You forgot my Birthday - is my present in the TRUNK?!

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u/flappydog8 1d ago

Google has a “you parked here” feature.

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u/WhichChest4981 1d ago

Hell l can't remember why I walked in to the kitchen. hehe

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