'Battery Exhausted'

Sunday was the big Yoga Regional Championships. My daughter and I picked up Mei and her teacher training roommate and jetted down there to watch the raw talent. The event was held in an outdoor mall called Town Square (which also happens to be my favorite mall/hangout). They have a park in the middle and that's where the festivities were held. I promised to post cool pictures, so I went down there, little purple digital camera** tucked safely in my purse. I whipped it out to take pictures and as soon as I turned it on it said 'Battery exhausted'. I couldn't help but laugh. Hasn't that been me lately? Battery exhausted? The cat dying, my daughter getting a terrible flu, a very sad funeral to attend. I put the camera back away and just thought "Universe, please recharge my batteries, and please please let the calamaties be over!"

No such luck. The very next morning I stumbled into my bathroom at 5:30 am to take a shower for work, sandy eyes barely open. I turned the shower on. It didn't warm up. I shrugged, went to the toilet and came back, expecting it to be warm. No such luck. Cold as ice. I shoved my glasses onto my face and made my way down the stairs in the dark. Water heater, I've got to check the water heater, was all I could think as I opened the door leading to the garage. My bare foot stepped cautiously into the dark quiet garage. Squish. The mat in front of the door was soaked. Oh shit. I flip on the light. The garage has water all over the floor. I walk over to the water heater and look at it. It doesn't look any different than normal, and of course I have no clue what to do next. Turn off the water, says a voice in my head. Oh, that sounds like a good idea! I stand in the garage, staring at my pretty blue convertible car, sitting innocently on the other side of the garage, yet untouched by the creeping water. My head swivels around, looking at walls. I think the builder told me how to turn the water off when I moved in four years ago, however, I have no idea whatsoever what may have been said. None. I don't know how to turn my water off. It's almost 6am. I go back inside, grab my cell and dial a guy friend who lives about 10 mins away and that I've known for 11 years. He answers and tries to walk me through it over the phone. We aren't having any luck with that, so he says "I'll be there soon" and drives over to my house at SIX FIFTEEN in the morning just to turn my water off! As he is leaving he asks what I'm going to do. Call somebody I guess. I shrug. How much do you think this will cost, I ask. He gives me a guess and my face goes white. I really wish this would have happened next Monday, after I get paid! I don't have that much left in my account! I am dismayed. Without batting an eye, he asks where the nearest bank is. He drives away and comes back, cash in hand. Here, he says, handing me the cash. I'll pay you back this Friday! I say, eyes wide, staring at the cash in disbelief. He shrugs. Don't worry about it. Pay me as you can, you don't have to pay it all back at once. He gets in his car and leaves, to go get ready for his workday. I stand there, watching his car leave and in that second gratitude floods through my entire body. I understand as I stand there that none of this is that bad in the grand scheme of things. That I have so very much to be grateful for no matter what the universe continues to dish out to me this week.

The next night I am driving to yoga and receive a text from regular Mark. "You gonna be there?" I reply "of course". He responds back "It's Roberta! Prepare to suffer!". I smile and text back "good, I'm looking forward to it".

I get there, lay my mat down in that hot room preparing for the tough class that I know will follow. Class starts and I stand there, looking at my own two eyes in the mirror. My own two still alive eyes and smile. My batteries are recharged.....

**Lucky for us, regular Shelley has a "big girl" camera. You know, the one that is black, and has a strap that goes around your neck and a lens that will come out and make noise and zoom and you can push buttons and adjust things and take killer pictures! Ya, that camera. She posted amazing pics on facebook. I will work on saving those to my hard drive and writing a post with pictures from that day. Oh, and I forgot to tell you: Brandy won. She was amazing! Well, they all were amazing and inspiring actually. Wait for the pics. You'll see. :)