No good deed goes unpunished....

That old adage held true in a different way today...the good deed was Heidi's and the punishment was mine.  

I have a normal routine on cold winter mornings...I wake up, go start the car (I would park in the garage but that's where the snakes live) (Oh, and don't give me any of that 'they're hibernating' or 'migrated for the winter' bull...we both know that if I went out there now I'd be swarmed by snakes and never seen again) so as I was saying...I wake up, go start the car, come in and get dressed and ready, grab all of my things, and head to work.  This routine is important because as I pick up my keys to go start the car in the morning I see them sitting next to the pile I emptied from my pocket the night before - Driver's License, Debit Card, Prairie Meadows membership card, Home Depot gift certificate, phone number list, and insurance card.  This morning, however, since I have the greatest wife ever, Heidi started my car for me.  Which means, the very thought of my pile o' stuff didn't even enter my mind until I arrived at work, 45 minutes away, and she texted me to tell me that my ID and every form of money I have are all still there at home.   

So...what does having no ID or money mean for me today?  

First off...no lunch.  At first this didn't seem like a big deal, I've gone without lunch plenty of times when I've been busy.  However, today, when noon rolled around, it felt like I hadn't eaten in days.  I started rifling through my drawers looking for quarters to get something from the vending machine and then it happened.  I found it sitting in the back of a drawer I hadn't opened for months...behind papers and newsletters....it was amazing...the most beautiful thing ever...a can of chili, Hormel Chili flavored with Tabasco to be exact.  I examined the can for swelling and discoloration and then turned it upside down.  There it said - Mfg: 2006, expires December 2008.  The debate lasted only a fraction of a second in my head and then I knew what I would do.  Even though I refuse to drink milk on the day before it expires, if they say the chili is good for two years then certainly it is good for two years + 9 measly days.  Aged like fine wine and with the Tabasco having killed off any bacteria long ago, it was delicious, and I savored every bite.  Thank you Science for giving us Chili that'll last forever - I think I'd be willing to try it at the three year mark if it came to it.

Second...no gas money.  The needle just hit the red when I got to the parking lot this morning and the light just came on.  I believe that means a solid 30 miles worth of driving left... so that's 3/4 of the way home.  Now what about the rest?  Well...I'll only need about 1 gallon of gas to get the rest of the way.  I could siphon it from someone in the parking lot or I could see if scrounging through my desk drawers could bring another miracle.  Given all the windows in the front of our business, each with a fellow employee watching our parking lot, I thought I'd try scrounging first.  Amazingly, my desk came to the rescue again, this time in terms of my savings account.  You see, some people go with mutual funds, some with CDs, others with a simple bank account to store away the money they don't need quite yet...me...I go with another method - unclaimed lottery tickets.  Whenever I have a $1 or $2 winner I don't rush down to claim it, I tuck it away in a drawer or a coat pocket until the time comes that I need it.  Today's ticket was only a month old.  It was a Secret Snowman present and worth...wait for it...3 dollars!  Incredible!  That's enough for 1 1/2, maybe even 2, gallons of gas.  No more worries for me!  I may just spend a few minutes doing doughnuts in the parking lot or just let my car idle for the last hour of work today, either way, I'm sure everything will work out now.

In the end, all I can say is that all is right with the world.  The two greatest things, Science and Gambling, came to my rescue today.  And Heidi, know that I'm not blaming you for this, I know you were just helping.  Still, I'm gonna need you to turn on the traffic report, keep your cell phone close, and get out our AAA card cause I've got a fun ride ahead of me - cross your fingers for no traffic jams!