Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Irish Exit Strategy

Once upon a time I was at a trade show with some co-workers when out of the blue one of them turned to me and in a very hateful voice told me to “shut up”.

 Since we were not having a serious conversation and I do not even recall that I had said anything but was about to this outburst made no sense to me. But once she started she continued to tell me to shut up. That my problem was I did not listen, I just chatted about nothing; I made no sense, no one cared about what I said that I had a long list of problems. (Yeah, my only real problem was that I thought she was a nice person).  First of all she hardly knew me. Second we were talking about ….bloody hell I do not even know but my comment apparently enraged her. 

I retell this because yesterday, another female told me to shut up. We were in a meeting and I started to share my thoughts and bam “you need to shut up we will do this” or something along those lines. Uhm…. Shut up?? I actually clamped my teeth down onto my lips and bit. My enthusiasm for this project left on the bus to Fresno. The lack of respect I felt she did not have for me became very apparent. She does not know me either.

My mother asked me last night while we were at dinner if I get lonely. My company which I enjoy or mingle with mean spirited muggles. I will take my company. Just for the record, the only person that should probably tell me to shut up is Mary because I jabber to her all day.

I came in from my morning hike and locked the door behind me. Fed Gucci, made my tea and scone, did some follow up on a project. Later I got up to go outside to water the plants on the porch when the security lock on my door just spun around clockwise without releasing the bolt. I spun it around the other direction and still the bolt did not release. 

Neither would the door open. I was trapped in my own house. As I was formulating an egress plan the thought occurred to me that what if someone had manipulated it to break and intended to entrap me. I picked up Ivan my trusty weapon and went through my house like a well-trained TV cop. 

There was no one hiding in any of the closets, or showers or under the beds. Gucci followed me from room to room snooping around wherever I looked. When we had cleared the flat he looked up at me as if to say “well that was fun what next, a car chase?” As I realized I now had to add 15 minutes to my exit strategy I rethought the skirt I would wear because now I was going to be crawling out of a window to get out of my house. I opened the window, lifted out the screen and set my packpack, purse and dog crate out on the porch. Lifted Gucci out and as I was about to crawl through Gucci spied two burglars (at least Gucci thought so) getting into their vehicle.

 He took off after them barking and growling and snapping. The woman screamed, the man kicked at him, I was yelling his name and he was running back toward to me as the man kicked and Gucci turned and went after him. I yelled again and Gucci came running. My desire to sneak out of the house through a window that I was going to have to leave unlocked yet closed was busted. These people were directly in front of the window and if they had been paying attention would have seen me crawl out the window.  Damn!! I leash Gucci to the front door handle, carry all my stuff to the car and as I turn around to come back to shut the window my friendly neighborhood maintenance guy drives by and asks me how I am doing. Well… I go on to explain the door challenge and he crawls in my window takes the lock apart, opens the front door and then crawls back out of the window. I am speechless. He grins and shrugs as he says “you must exit a building the same way you enter.” Is this a superstition I wonder? Like shoes on the bed and black cats crossing the path or my favorite the person who unsheathes the blade must sheath it.

Found it. It is an Irish tradition. According to this old Irish tradition the entrance and exit have to be the same door, otherwise you’ll have bad luck. Never leave a house by a different door from that by which you entered it; it is "carrying away the good luck of the place."

I have to get busy. I have a meeting and I left my phone at mother’s house last night and I need to retrieve it.

Enjoy


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