Funny story…

Although I work out at Gold’s Gym most of the week, I still escape to our gym on campus every Monday and Wednesday. When I go to Gold’s, I return to the house to shower and take Sloan to daycare. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Sid takes Sloan to daycare and I don’t come home after I exercise. You staying with me?…

Because I stay on campus once the HTC Center opens at 6 a.m., I shower in the locker room facilities after my workout. This of course requires that I bring my office clothes with me so I can change into them after freshening up. As your stereotypical Type A person, I select and pack my clothes the night before. Pants, socks, undershirts, shoes, etc., go into my gym bag. To avoid wrinkles, I carry the shirt I will wear that day in my hand. It is usually second nature for me to remember my shirt when I grab my gym bag and dash out the door in the morning.

I don’t know if it was excitement over the first day of classes here at CCU or some other factor but I did something I normally never do: I forgot my shirt.

It wasn’t until I turned onto campus that I realized I left my shirt at the house. Low key stressing out, I surveyed my options.
1. Turn around, go back home, and take a day off from the gym.
2. Forget the gym and do a quick workout on the track. Then quickly return home, shower, and rush back to campus.
3. Go to the gym as usual and then find some other option in terms of my wardrobe.

I opted for the third choice and decided on the “some other option” rather quickly: Walmart.

Unfortunately, to pull this off, I needed to complete an abbreviated workout. However, the shorter routine I went through was sufficient enough to at least not make me feel like a slacker throughout the day. When I finished I took a quick shower and then did something kind of embarrassing…because I didn’t want to walk out in front of everybody and go to Walmart in my undershirt, I slipped on my Gold’s Gym pullover that I wear prior to my workouts.

What a combo! I went out in public like this.

So there I was, rocking a Gold’s Gym pre-workout shirt with khakis and dress shoes. I looked like a real piece of work. I awkwardly walked past the students working the front desk and hopped in my car and went to Walmart. Luckily, the store is about halfway between campus and my house, so roughly a 10 minute drive. I did some quick browsing but I didn’t waste too much time making a decision.

A look at my selection this morning.

I opted for this $7.76 shirt that reminded me of something I would expect a senior citizen to wear, not some dude trying to satisfy his employer’s business casual dress code policy. However, it would make do for one day.

After some quick browsing, I made a selection.

I changed in the Walmart bathroom and then navigated the morning traffic back to campus in plenty of time. Even though I wanted to wear something CCU-related for first day of classes, I felt a little accomplished that I didn’t let my absent-mindedness rob me of a workout that I really needed (I have slacked with my eating over the summer).

This shirt served me well today.

In life, it is about the small victories. Don’t Blink.