Zen of the unexpected...

If you do not expect the unexpected

you will find it, for it is not to be

reached by search or trial.”

- Heraclitus

“No, no, no, no!!” I shouted jumping…er, hopping…uh, moving as quickly as I could out of the shower!

Before this sounds like too much information, there is a context.

From here to there…

I was preparing for a three-week working trip to Europe. Getting ready to leave home for this length of time requires a little planning, in the “How much stuff do I need to take with me?…” department.

The destinations for this journey were, in this order: Prague, Czech Republic…Poznań, Poland…Aberdeen, Scotland…Aalborg, Denmark…Manchester, England and home.

I have one of those large synthetic plastic suitcases, which I have taken in the past for shorter trips. It’s on rollers, but when loaded, the thing can be more that fifty pounds, which is fine if there are no steps to climb. On this trip, there would be stairs, so the decision was made to take two smaller, more manageable bags.

Most European hotels I have stayed in have a zip line in the bathroom tub or shower. It is typically on the wall at the showerhead end. You pull it the length of the bathtub and connect to a little hook on the far end. These lines are ideal for hanging small hand laundry, thereby permitting reuse of ‘re-usable items.’ This meant taking fewer tee-shirts and underwear.

My electric razor carries a three-week charge, so there was no need to take its power cord.  Having recently been outfitted with hearing aids, I took extra batteries.

Once the personal items and clothes were packed, I reported to the CEO in our home, who ran through the ‘prefight checklist’ to ensure nothing was missed.  Satisfying the boss that all was in order, there was nothing left, but to tuck in for the night; get a good rest and head to the airport the next morning.

First stop Prague…

By the time I got to the hotel in Prague on Sunday, I had been up for 27 hours. It would be a three-day stay there, so it was not necessary put everything away in the drawers and closet. I unpacked my shaving kit, put out clothes for the next day and went for a walk.  Since it was mid-day when I arrived, staying up until my regular bedtime was necessary.

That evening I had dinner with friends and experienced the usual, ‘first night in a new time zone,’ fitful sleep. The next two nights were better, but I was hopeful that by the time I got to my next destination, I would have adjusted to the Eastern European ‘…Nine-time zone difference from home…' biorhythm change.

Wednesday morning it was off to the airport and flight to Poznań, Poland where I chaired and spoke at a spine conference, followed by two additional days of meetings. In the end, it would be six nights.  This meant I could completely unpack, do a little laundry (hanging things up on the bathtub line), AND because Poznań was in the same time zone as Prague, sleeping would be better.

Things began to go gently south…

Arriving at the hotel, I unpacked and put away the clothes for the upcoming days of work.  First on the agenda was to get cleaned up for an evening meeting.  When I opened the shaving kit and pulled out my razor, the battery was dead. Apparently, the suitcase had been packed so tightly, the power button got depressed…there was no charge left, and eighteen days left in the trip.

Additionally, I had put dirty clothes (i.e. tee shirts, underwear, and socks) in a plastic bag to keep them separate from the clean ones.  Filling the sink with warm water and some gentle soap product, I washed tee-shits and shorts, only to discover the shower had no zip line, requiring a different solution.

Undeterred, I took them into the shower, squatted in on the floor, rinsed and wrung them out. Now the task was to find where to hang them up…a small problem solved by taking the clothes hangers from the closet and hanging them all over the room.

Instructions for the hearing aids were to wear them as much as possible to get used to having them in my ears. After a couple of weeks, they were not the least bit noticeable.

After getting the now damp, but drying clothing hung, I pulled off my clothes and got into the shower forgetting to take the hearing aids off.  As soon as the water hit my head, I knew I was in trouble.

“No, no, no, no!!” I shouted jumping…er hopping…uh, moving as quickly as I could out of the shower!  I yelled so loud, I even startled myself.

I quickly took the hearing aids off, opened the battery compartment, and dumped the batteries out. Soaking wet, I wrapped the now empty hearing aids in a dry towel, and finished the shower, praying they had not been damaged.

After dressing, and with a little trepidation, I slipped new batteries in the hearing aids and put them on…I was delighted they still worked.

When I tucked into bed, I couldn't help but chuckle at the events of the day. Whilst you all get only small glimpses into the odd experiences that have graced my life, I live with me twenty-four/seven.

The truth is, I kinda like it...

- ted