Remembrance: Walking the Ironing Board

My first months in Prague were FULL of adjustments - life in a big city, walking everywhere, dark going to and coming from work, new language, funny smells, and soooooo far away from home. When everything is going crazy you desperately try to find some sense of normalcy to keep you sane.

Well, all I wanted was a normal ironing board. I had an itty-bitty, very wobbly one that wasn't even long enough for my trousers to lay on. It's amazing the things that really start to get to you when everything is nuts.

One day the email came - a colleague was leaving to go back to the US and had a nice sturdy ironing board that was full sized for sale - would I like to have it? Of course! I was so excited about the treasure that was within my reach. All I had to do was come and get it.

So one Sunday afternoon after church I headed over to her house to retrieve my prize. After chatting for several minutes with her and helping to pack a few last things, I tucked my full size ironing board under my arm and headed across town. I walked quite a few blocks and felt like those Three Stooges episodes where they have a plank and turn around and knock each other over. I had several near-misses (and one that may have been an actual hit . . . oops!) on my cross-town journey.

After I got back to my flat I cracked up - who walks across town with a pink flowery ironing board under their arm like it's normal? Get the visual - this is funny.

Oh the things that desperation can drive us to do.