The pool where I swim is a 15 minute drive from my house, so if I forget something mission-critical (like goggles or my bathing suit), I forfeit my workout rather than make the roundtrip twice.
That precise problem reared its head this weekend, when I arrived at the pool only to realize I’d forgotten my photo ID, meaning I wouldn’t be admitted to the pool. GRRRR. Fuming, I drove home completely irked.
When I got home, however, I saw that my towel was still hanging on the back of the bathroom door knob, so my missing ID was actually a blessing in disguise. I can’t imagine wrapping up a workout completely soaked with no ability to dry off before heading out into freezing temperatures.
This wasn’t the first time I’d forgotten something important, and it reminded me of another time recently when I got to the pool only to realize I’d left my flipflops at home. If you don’t understand how flipflops could be critical, then you clearly haven’t spent much time in a public lockerroom.
Remember playing “lava” when you were a kid, trying to avoid touching the floor when you walked? That’s kind of like me navigating a lockerroom without flipflops. I look at the nasty floor and all I can think is, “Plantar’s Warts!”
That day, I sat on the bench for a minute, trying to figure out how I could get to/from the lockerroom without actually touching the floor. About that time, I looked at my swim bag and realized I had packed my flippers to kick some laps. Problem (dorkily) solved!
I will admit: it was not pretty. But it was also not unlike the Flipper Ballet in Mamma Mia as I came sprinting out of the locker room:
If you’ve always wondered about that scene and why they are even trying to dance with flippers on, I think I’ve just provided you with the answer: They left their flip-flops on the mainland. And I’m sure the docks are just teaming with warts.
pithypants 
you would get SO skeeved out at one of those indoor water parks.
funny! thanks for posting.