I Forgot To Remember

Distraction added a few miles to my commute this morning. I've been obsessing over preparations for my backpacking trip. I'm going to be in the wilderness for 11 days and I want to make sure I have everything accounted for. This morning I headed off to work and after 2-1/2 miles I suddenly realized I didn't bring my clothes. (Well, that explains the nagging feeling I had when my panniers seemed emptier than normal.) I treat my commute as a workout so I must clean up. Nobody wants a computer guy in bib shorts and racing jersey funking up their cubicle space. And I wouldn't care for the notoriety of being an employee in the Thomas S. Foley United States Court House building observing No Pants Day on the wrong day. Heck, we don't even celebrate it on the right day. And I would've been shirtless, too, so it would've been more like Jockey Shorts, Belt, Shoes and Socks Day. (Yes, I only forgot the shirt and pants.) Not liking the picture that formed in my mind I returned home and retrieved my clothing for the day.

It's funny how we creatures of habit get sidetracked by a change in our routine or some other distraction. Twice in nine years of bike commuting I've forgotten to bring a towel to work. I can attest that drying your back with paper towels is quite the flexibility exercise for your shoulders. But I had a towel this time. Maybe if I wrapped it around my waist....