therealcherish

I am definitely getting older…

While I’m holding up very well from a physical standpoint – meaning I’m within 15 lbs of my high school weight and still have most of my thick curly hair – mentally I am FEELING the age setting in with occassional bouts of forgetfulness (mixed with hurriedness). I was most recently reminded of this after a trip to Grand Lux Cafe in Chicago…

It was raining so hard when I left dinner and I would have had to take 2-3 buses/trains to get home so I decided to take a cab. When I got home I rushed out of the cab to change out of my wet clothing and prepare for a night of Hulu and wine juice.

As I setup my computer I gathered all of my electronics in front of me as always (2 Blackberry phones and an iPod Touch) so I would hear them if they range… and play Scrabble on the iPod while I watch TV. Lo, and behold, there were only 2! I was missing my work Blackberry!! *insert gasp*

I emptied my purse, shook out my business suit, groped at my coat pockets, walked every inch of the condo in serach of this pink Blackberry. No luck. I threw on some shoes and ran down to the lobby, even walked outside to see if it were in any of the street puddles where the cab let me out. NO LUCK.

Feeling defeated, I called the cab company to file a missing phone report. They were closed and an automated message informed me that someone would contact me the following morning. In a last ditch effort I made an outline of my evening, after that last Facebook post I made from the phone during dinner…

1 – Dinner Table? (check – I had it in my hand when I bought the cookies at the carryout counter)
2 – Carry-out Counter (double check – had it in my hand when I was on the escalator, PLUS I called the restaurant and they confirmed there was no pink BB found)
3 – Valet Counter? (check, I didn’t stop there since I took a cab this time)
4 – Cab? (hmmm…. don’t remember using it in the cab) 
5 – Home? (can’t find it in the house)

So that means its between numbers 3 and 5… which leads me to the cab ride…. I ran out the restaurant… hugged my mom… darted across the street to flag a cab… struggled to combine my bags + carryout + purse…. oh, wait…. THERE IS IT!!!!!

I jumped up, ran over the refrigerator and pulled out my carry-out bag. Sure enough… the pink Blackberry was there. Nesteled between a bowl of soup and carton of bread where I had carefully placed it, as I ran to the cab. I guess it wasn’t NEARLY as bad as the Minnesota bus-car incident, but still… reminds me of how fast I’m moving sometimes…. gotta learn to slow down. Makes me think of an India Arie song that I like. The lyrics in the second verse say:

Thinking the faster that I go

The faster that I will reach my goal
The race is not given to the swift
But to the one who endureth.
I thought that all of my obstacles were behind me.
Walking around like I’m made out of diamond.
I tripped and fell and it reminded me to move over and let the angels guide me.

Take a listen:

Slow Down – India Arie