Walk Like You Mean It

I have always liked to travel and I like to walk for my exercise. Many years ago I read that you should always walk looking like you know exactly where you are going--to look lost is to look vulnerable. So even though I am directionally challenged and therefore often lost, I have practiced and manage to carry off a purposeful stride. It works. I know because it is amazing to me that people often stop and ask me for directions so I must look like I know where am and where I am going. Of course, it does blow your cover when some one stops to ask for a good breakfast place and you have to admit you haven't a clue.
Today, I was loading some groceries into the back seat of the car at the Publix when a woman stopped. "Excuse me," she said. "I'm new here. I'm from Michigan. I'm looking for a nail salon. Can you tell me where I could find one?"
Not a very observant individual. First of all, I look like the snow bird that I am. (I wore shorts to the beach the other day and someone notified the Coast Guard that someone was sending a crazy SOS signal because the sun was bouncing off my knobby white knees.) If the lack of sun tint wasn't clue enough, I was standing next to my car with its Vermont license plates. Finally, with the return to typical Florida weather and its humidity, my hair was blowing wild in a frizz tangle and my hands...clean, but hardly manicured. Let's just say I am not the likely candidate to direct anyone to the area's beauty services.
Actually, I've been coming to Venice enough so I did actually know the locations of several nail salons and day spas (because I happen to walk by them a lot). I gave her directions even though I could tell she was noticing my stubby fingernails by then. I got in my car and drove back home...making a wrong turn one block away from the house.