I had my annual appointment with my traditional GP. After testing my hearing he suggested I may want to see an Audiologist and I may not want to put off getting a hearing aid.
I totally didn’t see that one coming and it’s only Tuesday.
Earlier today I gave my second Toastmasters speech. Later on, I just wanted to go for a nice walk to relax and sit on my favorite bench in a Nature Center I like to visit. It’s Barney Honeychuck’s bench. According to the info on the bench, Barney died a few years ago and I feel with a name like that he had to be a great man.
I’m sitting on the bench swinging my feet back and forth because they don’t touch the ground. This bench favors actual tall people and I’ll just bet Barney would change that if I asked him. “Barney, there needs to be more dirt under your bench, can you make that happen please?”
Thinking about this important new development in our relationship I’m interrupted by my cell phone ringing. I think it might be a neighbor but no it was the nice person I take Zumba and a painting class with, and who heads up a program I volunteer with. How nice of her to call. She asked me “Are you coming?” Hmmm, what does she mean…coming to?…Zumba…no that was earlier today…painting class is….tomorrow…mentoring is…now!…oh “CRAP!!!!!” I scream into my cell hopefully not causing her any hearing damage. Immediately wishing I could have chosen a nicer word to scream into the phone such as RATS! or DARN IT! or OH NO! all come to mind. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I say “I had a Toastmaster’s speech today and I went for a walk to relax and I completely forgot. I just have to walk home and get in my car”. Suddenly it doesn’t seem I live that close to the Nature Center. See you, Barney!
I start to run even though I haven’t run in years, over the numerous rocks on the path and over the pretty bridge at the end of my lake.
I’m already winded. So I change to a fast walk. I fly by wildlife, too frantic to see if the Wood Ducks are still there and start to run up a little hill but give up to a walk again and vow that when I reach the road I’m hitchhiking. I get to the road and run down the sidewalk and keep looking back for a car…any car. I see one! I stick my thumb out. I think he might keep going but he pulls over. Yes!! I give him the quick once-over, he seems nice and besides, I really don’t believe anything terrible will happen to me in this lifetime. Nevertheless, as I open the passenger door I ask him “You’re not a murderer are you?” He says no as I shut the door and off we go. We chat as I give him directions to where I live and explain how I’m supposed to be at the mentoring program I volunteer with. I’m mentoring a fourth grader but that I forgot today because yada, yada, yada. He asks me if I’m a teacher and I say no, no I’m just a…person, and he chuckles a little.
This is my first time hitchhiking and clearly I’m pretty good at it.
Once again I’m learning it’s never too late. I never ask the nice man his name but learn that he’s a schoolteacher at the high school down the street. I shake his hand and tell him he did a good deed today. I run inside, grab my car keys and jump in my car and fly to the elementary school hoping my student doesn’t think I don’t care about her. I’m 30-minutes late and she and two others are playing a fun card game called Set. We hug as I apologize and I join in on the game. At the end of our time together we hug again and all she says is “Don’t be late next week”. I really like her.