Tonight I came home from work a little tired, a little sleepy, not very motivated from a long day at work and wrestled with that eternal question of whether to go to the gym or not. I lay on my bed trying to muster some sort of motivation. Feeling that a hit of endorphins could certainly do me good, I somehow got myself out the door. At any rate it was something to do to get me out of the house and my gym has those machines where you can watch tv, which I enjoy.
On the way I was harassed by some young London punks (aged 10-12) which did not enhance my state of mind in the least.
Arriving at the gym I found an intruiging program called Dispatches which uncovers scandals or falsehoods in business or corporations in the UK and was investigating companies with off-shore bank accounts trying to avoid paying tax. I was happy, my attentions were engaged. After finishing my workout (Dispatches was over) I went to leave the gym, only to realize that I did not have my ipod with me.
Instincts of initial panic were superceded by the rational that perhaps I had dropped my ipod or left it on the previous machine I had been using which was right beside me. Nowhere was the device to be found. Now I allowed frustration to creep in. It would seem a little unjust that after all that has happened to me so far in London this further act of bad karma would fall upon me. Besides, these unlucky streaks were not coming cheap and I do not fancy having to purchase another ipod in the near future.
I should explain that my luck with ipods is not great - I had my last one stolen out of my lap (literally) on a bus in Vancouver - which was also on a MONDAY night!
I politely informed three different staff members of my plight. They all directed me to each other but couldn't seem to help me so I left my name and number just in case something were to turn up at the end of the evening.
I walked home (without stretching - this is how bad my state of mind was) feeling that I had really lost hope in London. First I get kicked out of apartments twice in as many months, and now my ipod has left me. It was raining, I was grumpy and I was tired. So glad I enforced some positive thinking on myself and got off my bed in order to be harassed by surly pre pubescents and lose a personal possession.
After getting myself and what remained of my things home to sulk, I received a call from the front desk at the gym saying that someone had indeed turned in an ipod and they would put it in the safe for me to come and collect tomorrow night. Hallelujah, there is good in the world after all. I think I really would have been taken down a peg in my faith in humankind after tonight if someone at my gym had stolen my ipod right under my nose. Thank goodness for other peoples goodness. Even in crazy, busy, bustling London where people will stand directly in front of you just to make sure they get a spot on the tube first, there can still be good deeds.
So it was worth leaving the house after all, just barely.
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