Unexpected Events

Part of the devotion I read yesterday morning:

 “Awareness of Me can continue in all circumstances, no matter what happens…Don’t let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently, remembering that I am with you…”

I was asked to put this into practice—or at least try—a couple of hours later.

I received a phone call Wednesday afternoon that the YMCA was going to resume operations and that we could once again have our aerobics class as long as there were fewer than 10 people in the facility. Yay!!! I have missed the class very much.

I am able to maintain the discipline of walking every day but I can’t manage to lift weights or do some of the other exercises that I need to do to remain strong and limber by myself.

So, I headed for aerobics class, and although we are down to 2 people—the other two women who usually attend won’t come until the danger is over—I was very excited.

I parked the car for a minute to take care of something, but when I turned the key to start the engine again, nothing happened… some weird problem with the ignition switch.

I looked in the satchel for my cell phone, and then I realized it was still fanny pack I wore the day before when I went for a walk. I couldn’t call Richard.

I always take my cell phone with me when I leave the house in the car. When you drive an old car, you never know… Except yesterday I was very distracted as I was getting ready to leave because Richard was going over this shopping list with me -- and it wasn't just a shopping list of things to buy, he wanted me to look at the prices of some stuff :  3-lb bag of onions; 10-lb bag of potatoes; are frozen vegetables on sale? If so, what kinds and how much? Is ice cream on sale? How much?

There are two stores in town , and one of them does not have an ad because they say they can’t be sure that what they order from the wholesaler will be delivered. So we have to try to figure out which store has the better price. My head was swirling from all of that and I forgot to get the phone.

I started walking to the Y, which was about a half-mile away (maybe a little farther). When I got there, I tried calling Richard from the desk phone, but he can’t hear our regular phone in his office. The number for the phone that rings by his desk is on my cell phone but is not listed in the phone book, and I can’t remember what it is. (Note to self: Put the phone number with your driver’s license !!!)

Brenda, the other woman who isn’t afraid to come to the aerobics class, was there, and she offered to drive me home after the class. We had a wonderful time exercising to the DVD and visiting. 

After the class I tried calling Richard again, and again, he didn’t hear the phone ringing. So we left, and I had her stop by my car. I turned the key, and it fired right up. I was supposed to go to the post office and the grocery store, but I decided to come back later in the afternoon and turned around and drove home.

In the end, I suppose it was good thing that I had forgotten my phone because Richard’s morning would have been disrupted, which would have thrown him off for the rest of the day.

Did I respond “calmly and confidently?” Well… sort of.