Opening the Gates
These past couple weeks have been kind of crazy in my life as I am always on the move. So, I decided to change up this week’s post to be a bit more light-hearted and humorous for all of you.
Have you ever had an embarrassing or humiliating experience? Over the last couple months, I have had some interesting experiences.
One of my first gate experiences was doorgate. So, instead of having a place that uses a lock and key, my hoke uses a a card you slide into the handle as there is a mechanical contraption on the door. For instance, if you have ever been to a hotel Andy se a card to get in, that is exactly what I am referring too.
Anywho, one night when I had plans to comfort a friend who was going through a rough spot, I did what I had always done. I locked the door behind me. However, instead of hearing the door’s automatic locking system, I heard nothing. I tried the handle and the door was still unlocked. So, I locked the door from the inside and shut the door once more. Again, the same thing happened. My door was still unlocked. I also tried some other variations to see if they would work. But unfortunately, nothing was successful. That is when I had fo make an important decision on whether I needed to call the emergency 24/7 line at my place.
When I finally did, I was advised my situation was not an emergency. I, on the other hand, remained adamant that come the next morning when I had to go to work, this would become a more serious issue. So, they decided to send someone up. Now my main concern was that it would be an east fix and I would embarrass myself for not knowing how to properly lock my own door.
Once the mechanical engineer arrived, I showed him the issue and he began working. After roughly 45 mins, he explained that he would need to come back the next day to fix my door. As it turned out, the motor was not working inside the mechanical portion and it needed to be replaced. In addition to that, one of the latches was sticky. All I know is that when I returned from work the next day, my door was back to normal. It worked like new and it was such a relief. It was also comforting knowing my door was actually broken and it was not just my mind playing tricks on me.
My next gate experience was “poopgate”. Yes, you heard that right. One morning, I woke up late and was desperate for some caffeine aka “coffee”. So, I rushed to get ready and grabbed my usual from the local coffee shop. Once I left with my coffee in hand, I was nearly sprinting to my car so I would not be late for the appointment I had. Well on my way I was not paying attention and guess what? I ended up stepping in dog poop. Yes, it was there on the sidewalk. And since I was too much in a rush to pay attention where I was stepping, I did not even realize what had happened until IT happened. It was embarrassing.
After the fact, I felt like everyone saw. My face turned red. I no longer had a confident stride making eye contact with those I passed on the street. Now I stared at the sidewalk in embarrassment. I also hoped no one caught a whiff of the smell. Meanwhile, still on my way to the car, I tried to walk in whatever I could to get the poop to loosen from my shoe. I was walking in wood chips, grass, and I would have even considered the mud if it had not just rained. However, once I made the realization that although in the moment it felt like a huge deal, I soon laughed it off. There is really no way out of the situation until the shoe could be cleaned out another way. Either way, the best piece of advice I would give is to shrug it off and laugh at yourself. It makes the situation so much less serious. After all, there are a lot of worse situations out there.
The next gate is was “floodgate” of sorts. When my friend and I both had a really rough day, we met up at her place to relax and hangout. While over at her place, I ordered some food from Portillos. Portillos, if you did not already know, is a popular restaurant in Illinois. It is known for its hot dogs , burgers, beef sandwiches, and the chocolate cake shake. Anyway, I had also ordered a bottle of Coke-Cola.
Upon opening the bottle of coke, it sprayed everywhere. Luckily, I was as able to trap most of it in my clothing so it would not ruin her couch. Unfortunately, however, a little bit still managed to get on the couch. Meanwhile, she was understanding. She also lent me s pair of sweatpants in the meantime. I was grateful.
This is the same night we came up with the nicknames for this post. The three examples that I have shared thus far all happened in the same week. And although it seemed unfortunate when these situations occurred, they soon became funny stories that I shared with my friend. We shared some jokes and spent the night laughing. It was the perfect way to end the week.
Now a couple weeks later, there is a final incident that I wanted to add. I call it “Lockgate”. After a night out with a friend, I came home sometime around 12:30am. By this time, my parking garage was closed. Now I could still come and go from the parking garage, however, it was the doors to the elevator and stairs that should have been locked. When I tried them, just in case, before having to walk down ramp, I noticed they were open. So, I decided to take that route instead.
When I first went inside, I noticed that the elevator was at the top floor with the doors wide open. I did not think anything of it and I continued on my way down the stairs. Once at the bottom, I opened the door to this small lobby. I would say the size was a 4 by 4. Now the door to the stairwell locked behind me, which is normal. However, when I tried to use the door to the street, it would not budge. I was in shock. I froze for a moment there. I tried again and it was locked. My next idea was to take the elevator up and walk down the ramp to the street. When I clicked the elevator button, it acted like it blinked like it would come down. But the elevator never came down. It seems it was either broken at the top or stuck there. Next, I tried the stairwell door. That is when I noticed the handle for the door was missing entirely.
Now I was starting to panic. No one comes until around 6am. That means I would have to wait a couple hours in this four-by-four area. So, I made the decision to call non-emergency police. As it turns out, they only work from 5pm-12:30am. Well, it was now 12:45am. I missed them by a whole 15 minutes.
After contemplating my options for a few minutes longer, I made the decision to call 911. While on the line with the operator, I tried to explain it was not yet an emergency. Shortly thereafter, they transferred me to the fire department who helped me calm down mid panic to see if I could figure a way out. While on the phone, I continued playing with the lock on the door to the street. Eventually I was able to figure it out and open the door. I was so relieved. I thanked the firemen/apologized for taking up their time. And I was on my way. Yes, I still had to walk the dark streets home but I was content knowing I was not stuck in my place where who knows what could happen.
All in all, these four experiences might have been embarrassing, scary, or downright intimidating. But in the end, I believed in myself and made the best decisions that I could. I also made the realization that the best way to handle a situation is to be able to laugh at yourself. It can also be a great calming technique. So, the next time you find yourself in an embarrassing situation, please remember life is not that serious. And if you are ever in a troubling situation, please remember to follow your gut instincts. It could save your life.
As a signature of this blog, I like to end each post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness”. After all, there is no such time as the present to “Inspire Those Who Inspire You”. Passing on kindness, does need to be this big, elaborate ordeal. You could smile at a stranger, compliment something you love about someone’s outfit or personality, tell someone how proud you are of them or that you thinking of them. Even small acts can have a huge impact on someone.
