Snacking On My Words

I had a great conversation with a friend about how everything happens for a reason. Well, those were his beliefs. I swore by the randomness of the universe and that it's way to big for anything to be planned or on purpose. Then, last Tuesday happened and it's casting a shadow of doubt on my skepticism. I still don't buy into the whole "things happen for a reason", completely, so it's more like I'm snacking on my words, rather than eating them.

The Tuesday following this conversation, I was rushing to beat a 5:00 deadline. I parked, grabbed my purse and locked my door. When I returned to my car, I found I had locked the keys inside. Now, anyone who owns a Prius knows it's impossible to lock your keys inside because the remote signal would prevent it. That statement is true, unless you are me. (breaking new ground again) My metallic purple Ipod case sat right on top of the cup holder with my keys inside. I reached into my purse for my phone when a blinking red light flickered in the corner of my eye. I looked in the direction of the blinking light through the window at my phone inside as it mocked me with every blink. I turned around to run back to the office to call my mom when I saw two HVAC guys. Having once been married to a mechanic, I knew they are like women with shoes about tools (pardon the stereotype. If I offended you, get over it please, thank you.) Correction: Mechanics and tools are like women and shoes- on crack. If they didn't have something to get my keys out- no one would.

They appeared happy to help. (Show me a mechanic who dosen't like the challenge of opening something unopenable and I will show you someone pretending to be a mechanic.) I stood in a daze and watched them use copper wire, something a little thicker than a coat hanger, vicegrips, chisels and a flashlight as they broke into my car MacGyver Style. Rather than marvel at how clever they were at the time, all I could think about was how late I would be picking up my son from daycare. My head was pounding from the thought of my baby daddy getting a phone call from the daycare center. My brain started playing a video of him telling his divorce attorney how I left my son at school while I was hanging out with MacGyver-ish mechanics in parking lots. Just when my stomach was about to chime in with nausea, the lock on my door released and my mom's car pulled into the parking spot next to my car. A loud "Mommy!!" boomed from the back seat.

It felt like a giant foot had stepped off my head. I thanked the mechanics. I had nothing appropriate to thank them with, so I handed them Avon catalogs and told them to call me for some free stuff for their wives.

Luckily, my mom decided to pick up my son. I decided to take them for dinner. My son loved the place because he could throw peanut shells on the floor and we had a great time.

Maybe the Universe was trying to tell me I needed to spend some more time with my mom. I don't know. That went just a little to well. I'm still skeptical, but maybe everything isn't so random- at least it didn't seem to be that Tuesday.

Karen