A Combination of Problems

Alisha is usually that author of our Life on Lightning blogs; however, since all is well on the home front, and none of our appliances have driven us out of house lately, I thought I would go against my instinct (which is to keep this to myself) and share with you a story from today.

I had a great day at work and decided what better way to end my day than to head to Sports Barn on the way home for a crash workout so I can get my ivory body ready for the beach. I arrived, changed clothes, and began my workout. It went pretty well, seeing as how I really haven't exercised in about a month. After my workout was complete, I headed back to the locker room to wash up and head home to see wife and child. I went to my locker, took off my shoes, and pulled out the combination to my locker from underneath the soles of my shoes because this had been the maiden voyage for my new combination lock. I placed my workout clothes in the locker and headed to the showers. After showering and spending a few minutes in the sauna, I headed back to my locker. As I approached the locker I was filled with fear. My combination lock was back on the locker, locked, and trapping my shoes that held the combination which I had not committed to memory. The shower I had just taken had been a waste because, at this point, my sweat had returned. Frantically I began to run the numbers I thought would open the lock. 37-5-13, no!, 37-13-5, no!, 35-17-5, NO!, 35-17-5, NOOOOO! It was not coming to me. I prayed one of those prayers I used to pray when I couldn't remember the answer to a test question, "Lord, please help my remember the combination." To make matters worse, one of my former students was in the locker room as well. Perhaps it was my embarrassment, or perhaps my behavior, but I felt like every man's eye was on me wondering why I was just staring at the locker talking to myself.

I stood there for almost 20 minutes with the only a towel that had been used hundreds of times by hundreds of people separating my body from the outside world. I paced back and forth in disbelief that this was happening to me. Then, I began to run scenarios through my head. My first thought was an episode of Friends where Chandler's clothes are stolen by a woman while he had taken them off in the restroom and he had to walk out through the restaurant with nothing but a detached bathroom door covering him. I then thought, "Maybe I could call Alisha and she could bring me clothes." However, the phone was being guarded by my former pupil not mention in walked a former player I had coached and his father. Then I thought "I could wait until they closed and then walk out." But that would not have worked either because my car keys were in the locker as well."

I was out of solutions. So, I swallowed that great pill called "pride". I turned to a man that was on his way out to work out and asked "Can you do me a favor." Now, I would have been hesitant if a man clothed only by a towel asked me for a favor, but thankfully he said yes. I told him my situation and how embarassed I was. I then asked if he could go to the front and send someone back there to break open my locker. He said sure and within a few minutes, a young boy came back with some cutters. He couldn't break the lock, so I had to grab the cutters and break the lock myself. I quickly dressed and left for home.

I have the lock with me now as a reminder of this little incident. I guess everyone has a moment where you just have to laugh at how funny life is, and then pray that never happens again.

God bless,
Blake

PS: Whoever you are, man who helped me, thanks!
PPS: Everytime I type these, I feel like Doogie Howser.