The Time I Locked My Keys in the Car

I have not had the best last few weeks. I dunno why really. I mean, in the problems of the world scope, I had a great week.

but Thursday for lunch I had to run a few errands. I left work and buzzed up to the store because I needed to get something for lunch.

I had a million bazillion things racing through my mind so I parked, grabbed my debit card and off I went to the lean pocket aisle.

Notice, I said I grabbed my debit card and off I went?

that meant. my keys, wallet and cell phone were allll sitting nicely on the front seat. in the LOCKED car.

i don't know what I thought peering through the windows for five minutes would do?? magically unlock the doors?

ok. so i walked into the store. no biggie. i would just call my mom and she could bring me the spare key. (perk of living at home)

and if for some reason she wasn't home, my grandma who was ALWAYS home had a key to our house so she could get it for me.

so i see the pay phone and think hmm... i only have my debit card. that won't help. So i walk over to the customer service desk and THEY SAID I CANNOT USE THEIR PHONE! like seriously. I explained my lovely situation and they shut me down :( they were nice enough to inform me though that the payphone did accept debit/credit cards. well. was it my lucky day or what?

so i edge my way to the payphone (in between the motorized wheelchairs and gumball machine thing) and pick up the phone. Wait. My mom and dad and grandma decided TODAY would be the day they trek down to Seattle and stay the night.

Okay. Drew. Wait. What's his phone number? I kinda know it, but not really. I just use speed-dial from my cell phone. Well, that's unhelpful considering my cell phone is locked in the car.

I call my sister (who is in Seattle with my parents) and have her get me Drew's number. I call him and leave a message that I need him to pick me up after work, so we can go to my house, get the spare house key, get inside, get my spare car key and drive back and get my car. :)

so I leave him a message and feel a little better.

but then I realize WAIT. I am still stuck at Fred Meyer in the POURING rain (PS. the weather UNTIL Thursday had been BEAUTIFUL. +50 degrees. this day? pouring :) and I have to be back to work in a little bit.

Normally when I go to Fred Meyers in my workout clothes/no makeup/hair in a pony tail I see 12,231 people that I know. My parent's friends, people from high school. etc. This day when I REALLY wouldn't have minded seeing someone I know, I CANNOT FIND A SINGLE PERSON THAT I KNOW. Even my favorite workers in the produce section and at the express checkstands aren't working. How rude of them, right? :)

So. I take my debit card, march over to Starbucks and order a skinny mocha. I buy a package of pretzel M &M's. I pull up my sweater hood over my hair and off I go. In the rain, without a coat, on the busy main street. I mean yes, it was probably only a little over a mile walk, but when you have to walk under freeway overpasses in a skirt and boots in the rain, it seems a heckuva lot longer.

I make it back to work with sopping wet clothes and a mocha that was more filled with rain water than it was with espresso (how raindrops fit in that little drinking hole is beyond me).

it was amazing how despite my scary frizzy hair, wet sweater and dirty boots, walking into my office that day was the most relaxed I had felt in weeks.

Since my phone was locked in the car, I couldn't respond to all those emails and text messages and check twitter. I wasn't constantly checking the time on my phone and adding things to my calendar and grocery shopping list. I wasn't analyzing the gas gauge on my car, trying to decide if I should get gas at the cheaper gas station on the other side of town AFTER work, or go to the more expensive place that is way closer BEFORE work tomorrow.

My to-do list was much more simple. Walk back to work.

Normally I get BACK from my lunch break even more frazzled than I was before I left. I spend the hour driving all around town, running arounds, making phone calls, checking my US Weekly Gossip app. :) Always thinking about what I am going to do AFTER work. Gym, cook dinner etc.

I feel like this was God's way of saying, "woaaaah girl. you need to slow down." I wasn't really listening so he had to actually FORCE me to. :) and for that I am grateful. and this week, I am being very purposeful in my schedule. I am making sure I leave time just to hang out, to NOT have a plan. Cuz the Big Guy reminded my humble self once again,

"Wanna make God laugh? Tell him your plans. and then He will take your car keys... :)