Lost Keys and Lost Mind...

Hello, friends! 

A few days ago I posted on how two of my best friends in the whole wide world got married.  It was a really great celebration, but also a super stressful weekend for me.  Not because I was a groomsman.  It wasn't because I was the reception MC either.  It wasn't because two of my best friends were getting married.  Nope.  It was stressful because I lost my keys...

Let me break it down for you.  At 2pm on Friday I met with other groomsmen to pick up our tuxes.  They went to go hang out at one of the groomsmen's house until the wedding rehearsal @ 3:30 but I had a few errands to run so I bolted.  From there, I went to the bank to pick up a money order for our new apartment but that took shorter than anticipated.  I ended up at WashU (Go Bears!) where the rehearsal was going to be with about 25 minutes to spare.  The chapel wasn't open and I didn't want to sit in my hot car, so I went into one of the buildings and read for a bit.  Then I made my way to the chapel and we had the rehearsal. 

When I got back to my car, I realized that I didn't have my keys.  I checked my backpack and they weren't in there.  I called the groom to see if I left them in the chapel.  I did not.  I went back to the building where I did my reading but they weren't there either.  I retraced my steps back and forth at least twice.  I even called Triple A to unlock my car in case I locked the keys in there.  No dice.  Somewhere on the WashU campus, my keys are lying there, lonely and without purpose.  Even worse, I was pissed. 

See, when you think about it, losing your keys isn't the end of the world.  It costs less than $2 to get a new copy made at Walmart.  Meg and I had to drive to CoMo to get my spare car key but even that turned into a date of sorts which was kind of nice.  No, the lost keys weren't the problem.  It was what they represented. 

Perfection.  That is always the goal.  Why do something poorly when you can do it perfectly?  Losing one's keys may not be a big deal monetarily, or even from a time perspective, but it means that I messed up.  And I hate messing up.  I spent a good hour or two beating myself up because I had lost my keys.  That isn't something that I do.  I strive for perfection. 

Really, this is an area where God is working in my life.  I have to learn that perfection is not attainable.  I have to be willing to extend myself the same grace that I extend others when they do not do things perfectly.  Someone once told me that it is a pride thing.  By holding myself to a higher standard, I am telling those around me that I do not think as highly of them since I do not expect the same from them.  It's not a good place to be. 

The key copies have been made.  All is well.  I even learned a lesson.  Now, here's hoping it never happens again.  =0). 
 
Stats:
Places traveled: Downtown for lunch with a student, campus, and plasma.
Distance traveled: 4.0 miles ($.37)
Meters: 6 hours on campus ($6) + 3 hours downtown ($1.80)

Total: $8.17
Grand Total: $269.35
Left to save: $308.20
Happy Biking! 
~Adam

Strategy...

Hello, friends! 
If you'll notice, it's been about 3 weeks since I last posted.  I was in California for a few weeks and there wasn't much riding to do then.  Plus, it has been WAY hot here in Missouri (as well as many other places in the country).  Like, sick hot.

But, that is no excuse to quit on my dream of paying off Sulu via money saved riding my bike places where I could drive.  I was able to do a little of that yesterday and today, which was nice, but I think some changes are in order. 

First, I have to ride in Saint Louis.  If I am going to be in Saint Louis most of the week, it would make sense that I would want to ride in Saint Louis in order to save me some cashage.  Meg has a bike rack that fits on a car so it shouldn't be a problem getting Sulu back and forth.  My MPG may suffer ever so slightly, but I'm sure that the change will be worth it. 

Second, I have to ride more in Columbia.  Much of what I do during the summer is planning and preparation for the semester to come.  Usually that means me hanging out it my semi-cool basement in front of a computer.  Why can't I do that on campus in the air conditioning?  What's stopping me besides laziness.  Nothing, that's what! 

I was going to write something about my third change was to build a weather machine so it wouldn't be so daggone hot but that would probably end up costing more than the bike.  So, instead, I'll just keep it at two very simple changes.  We'll figure it out my friends.  This is going to be awesome!  =0). 

Stats:
Places traveled: Campus, home, my friend Bob's house, and Jingo's for lunch today. 
Distance traveled:  5.9 miles ($.56)
Meters: On campus 3 hours ($3) + Downtown 1 hour ($.60)

Total: $4.16
Grand total: $261.18
Left to save: $316.37

Happy Biking!

~Adam