Thursday, July 26, 2012

A scary moment

We've all had those moments when a little event tries to set the tone for the day.  Shucks!  At my age, I've had many of them.  One of mine is as recent as the pasr Thursday.

The day started off as usual, well.  I am scheduled to be at a local fitness place at 6:45 for an hour of torturing my body every Tuesday and Thursday.  There are only five of us left who participate in a "Senior Fitness" program which isn't nearly as demanding as the programs the 'youngsters' are going through right next to us in the gym.  But what we do does get the heart pumping blood through the body, sweat flowing, and muscles being reminded they haven't totally atrophied, yet.

Going to that session requires an early rising.  Among other things, I put on a pair of pants (I haven't worn anything resembling 'trousers' since I retired.); extra hearing aid batteries went into one pocket; my car keys found another; and finally, the wallet slipped into a back pocket.  The last item before leaving is placing the hearing aids into their spots.

I felt each pocket and all was well.

One other and I finished our routines but he had to wait for his wife, a member of our group, to finish hers so we went to the waiting room to solve the day's problems before we left for other places.

Every four weeks I must stop by NorDx in Scarborough to have my blood tested.  This was the day.  There was some confusion there as the Maine Medical Center building is undergoing renovation.  NorDx had temporarily moved but I found it on the absolute opposite corner of the structure.  Very easy parking at the new location so I was delayed only a few moments.

I decided to put my insurance cards in my shirt pocket as I was heading into the building to make it easier inside.  I reached for my wallet, the one I had carefully slipped into the back pocket and even checked it as I was leaving home.

You're right:  I had no wallet!!!!

I'm not sure which gets a heart beating faster, not finding a wallet or the exercise at the fitness place.  One second thought, yea, I do!

For the second time this year I used my cell phone to make a call.  I calmly explained my plight to my wife who then searched every place I had been before heading out.  No wallet.  We could not find the phone number of the fitness place so I did the natural thing, I headed back there.

I held on to my calm and kept the car under 100 mph.  Puffing into the building my first question to the receptionist was, "Has anyone by chance turned in a wallet?"  Fat chance of that happening but I held on to a knowledge that just about everyone there that time of day was decent, honest, and just one of the gang.  Interesting word there, isn't it?  No one had turned it in.

With permission to return to the gym to look for a lost cause, I was greeted with no one rushing to me excitedly saying, "Dave!  Lose something?" and holding a wallet high in the air.  The pounding inside the chest began as my head began trying to name the credit cards, etc., that had to get canceled while I headed for the final station I had used, a stationary bike.

Slowly, a small square came into view from under the bike.  The excited pounding increased dramatically as I could see it was a brown wallet.  "Probably empty," I muttered out loud, in spite of my knowledge of the caliber of the people there.  Don't we always assume the worst?

A quick look, however, showed it was intact.  All my credit cards, my insurance cards, any other stuff were all there.  I had left the house with six dollars.  The wallet still held on to that fiver and singleton.

I'll bet I haven't had as big a smile as it was at that moment.  I gave my thanks to the only One who took care of my wallet while I was away, called my wife (third call this year) to let her know the good news, and headed back to NorDx. 

I love it when those little glitches have a happy ending.

Dave

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