Sometimes the Universe knows Best

Today was another grinderoo at the office. Two big projects to get out before I could call it a day. I arrived at my office building's six-story parking garage at the usual time this morning and parked at the front of the 6th floor. I always make it a point to remember where I park because it's a BIG honkin' garage and it would take forever to find a car if you didn't know where it was. "Six front, six front, SIX FRONT," I reminded myself.

I got to the office and plowed through my first project. Just before completing it, the clerk of the court called and said that the Judge in question wanted the documents that I drafted that afternoon in advance of tomorrow morning's 10am hearing. So I trundled back to the garage (two city blocks away through a series of air conditioned sky walks), hauled it downtown, and delivered the documents to the court clerk personally. Now you might wonder why a 26 year attorney would be hand walking documents to a court clerk instead of using a messenger. You have NO IDEA the things you can learn just by spending a little time around the clerk's office. Anyway, mission accomplished, I drove right back to my office and proceeded to plow through project #2. I finished that project and headed BACK to the parking garage so that I could get a 30 minute walk around my neighborhood and still be on time for my son's fall baseball tryouts (more on that in a future message) at 6pm.

"Six front, six front, SIX FRONT," I repeated to myself, remembering where I'd parked my car. I got off the elevator on 6 and walked to the front of the parking garage. No car. "Hmmm...." So I walked to the mid-section of the 6th floor. No car. "Uh oh...." And I walked to the rear section of the 6th floor. No car. "Oh crud..." I had absolutely no idea where my car was. Now, about a month ago, old Scott would have taken the elevator down to the 5th floor and looked for his car there. New and improved Scott who has walked at least 2 miles most days for the past month took the elevator down to 1 and began walking all the rows. No car. I repeated the process on 2, 3, and 4. No car, no car and no car. The 5th floor was my last hope. For the fourth time, I entered the garage stairwell and walked up a flight of steep steps-- something old Scott would never have done. Finally, after walking all the rows of the 5th floor, I found my car parked in the back row of the 5th floor. How in the world did my car get to the back of the 5th floor lot when I parked it at the front of the 6th floor. Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh...... I took my car to the courthouse, and was so preoccupied thinking about the afternoon work assignment that I forgot to remember 5 back instead of six front.

I was fuming. Now, after 35 minutes of trudging around a hot, steamy parking garage and up four flights of stairs, I would not have time for my exercise walk with my wife when I got home before Jake's tryouts. "This SUCKS. I can't exercise walk because I spent 35 minutes trying to find my car. Thirty-five minutes walking all around my parking garage. Thirty-five.... minutes.... umm.... exercising...." I thought sheepishly.

Even though I felt better about getting my daily exercise in (albeit not in the form that I had intended), I still felt badly. My wife and I almost always walk together, and today, I would miss that opportunity. I drove home and she met me near the back door. I hate giving her disappointing news and didn't want to have to tell her that I wouldn't be walking with her today. "Ummm.... are you planning to walk tonight?" I inquired.

"I could, but I'd rather not. I did a lot of gardening today and got some ant bites on my foot. I will walk if you want to, but it's fine if we don't," she said.

Sometimes the Universe knows what we need even when we don't.