Paper Towels

As I mentioned on Monday's post (August 6th), you would likely hear about my gym adventures at a future date... that date is now. Have you ever either started a new gym or switched to a different gym without first getting a tour, etc? That was my experience on Monday morning. I showed up very early and started looking around, figuring out what I was going to work on, etc, and just kinda felt out of sorts the entire time. The machines were located differently than I was used to, some of the seat & arm adjustments worked differently, etc. The whole time just felt uncomfortable.

Well, I got through working out and went to take my shower and get ready for work when I realized they did not have a supply of towels nor did they have soap or shampoo. The other location I'd worked out at had soap & shampoo dispensers as well as towels for you in case you didn't bring your own; no such luck! I had to decide if I was going to just go back home at get ready or figure out an alternative solution. Being one who hates to waste time, I opted for the latter. I decided I would get through the day without the soap & shampoo (perhaps use some extra deodorant) and then dry off with paper towels... that's a smart and savvy solution, right?

Well, I think the day went fine without the soap & shampoo, but the paper towel solution was a little dicy. Let's just say I'm very glad the paper towel dispenser was fully stashed. The out-of-alignment feeling I had continued when I realized I had forgotten to pack up my toothbrush & toothpaste -- that is something I can't get by without; so I then realized I'd need to stop by a convenience store and grab some on the way to work.

So now all of this "out-of-sorts" feeling is overwhelming me when I finish getting dressed and ready to leave and run into who? My pastor!!! So now I'm standing there chatting with him with teeth that hadn't been brushed for about 24 hours with a good "bead-on" (credit to CJ) because I never fully dried off. I'm his executive pastor so we are talking about final things before he headed out on vacation and what I needed to take care of and all I could think about was my wetness and my bad breath. At one point he took some paper towels out of the dispenser and handed them to me.... fairly embarassing.

My point in all this (besides relaying a humbling, yet funny story) is that we all find ourselves in uncomfortable positions from time to time; situations where we just feel out of whack. Pastor Bill just started a series on getting out of our comfort zones and into the zone of the unknown in order to build relationships with other people. I will be speaking the next couple weeks on building those relationships, collecting stories, and sharing our own story with others.... this can be incredibly uncomfortable at first. But, like the gym, once you get used to where things are and how to navigate through it (and what to remember to bring so you are prepared - 1 Peter 3:15), then there gets to be a rhythm to it and you no longer feel like you are drying yourself with paper towels.