perception of direction

I am one of those people who do well at keeping their orientation ..... good thing since I'm the driver. But I really am proud of that ability; and it contributes to my confidence finding my way around as we travel.
Well, there is a strange sensation that I am aware of every so often, of my sense of orientation shifting suddenly. I've given it some thought and realized we are in a unique situation regarding maintaining our sense of direction.

When we have the shades down at night we are enclosed in an isolated box, without any thought or need to know which way is north, etc.  Our memory of "which way is north" (WWIN) is formed during the time prior to entering "the box".  This is true of our being in our motorhome, or when we were living in a house.
However, living in a permanent house allows us to always know WWIN even when the shades are down .... (because of repetition and familiarity - memory).
So ...... when our motorhome moves every day, or every few days, it is more difficult to maintain an accurate sense of direction (while in it at night). 

Strangely, I seem to have a 'default' WWIN that applies when the shades are down (everything is oriented relative to other things inside); but in the morning when I put up the shades and look outside I am often mildly surprised to realize where we are and WWIN.

Contributing to that paradigm shift are the different memories of, for example, what I recently saw out of the bedroom window. At Lake Okeechobee in Florida that bedroom window faced north, and I could see the alligators on the island just offshore.  At Cortez, Colorado that window faced east with a mountain meadow view, etc....
Often at night I reminisce about those places, and in my mind I become physically oriented to those directions. Then in the morning when I get up I think, oh, yeah, we're facing the lake, etc .... or I open a shade and things immediately click back into place.     Until we move again.

It's all part of the adventure; all part of the fun.
Later,
Marilyn