Thursday, March 29, 2012

What We Have Here, Is Failure to Communicate

Communication.  It really is important.  Unfortunately, it's something my siblings and I don't do very well a lot of the time.

Take, for example, this past Saturday.  My sister and a friend were running a 5k and I had planned on doing it with them.  The 5k was taking place about 40 minutes away from where we live, and my sister was spending the night before the race with her friend who lived 5 minutes away from the 5k location.  The plan was for me to drive up in the morning, run the 5k with them, and then drive home with my sister.

The morning of the 5k I drowsily woke up and decided I didn't want to run the race anymore (this happens for pretty much every 5k I've run, and I'm always glad I ran anyways.  Usually my sister is around to drag me out of bed to go with her.).  My sister had mentioned possibly spending the day with her friend and hadn't confirmed whether she was coming home after the race or not.  For some reason, I had in my mind that she was staying with her friend for the day and wouldn't need a ride home, so I decided to just stay home that morning.

My sister called me shortly after I went back to sleep to make sure I had left.  I was going to have to go up to pick her up anyways, so I decided I might as well run.  The only problem was that race-day registration closed in about 30 minutes.  I got in the car and drove as fast I could without being dangerous, parked in the parking structure, ran/walked to the event tables and made it to register in time!

I then got back in my car and drove off to pick up my sister and her friend in time for the start of the race.  My sister kept calling to make sure I was on my way, and giving me directions to a place whose location I thought I was sure of.  So after spending about 10 minutes (the race started in about 10 minutes at this point) driving around trying to follow her directions I find out that she and her friend have been at the event for the past 1-1/2 hours and she's trying to give me directions to the race.  So I race back to get parking in the parking structure.

I find parking and my sister and her friend are trying to find me.  I don't find out that she and her friend need to give me their sweatshirts and purses before running the race until now.  I'm on the second level of the parking structure and not sure if it's the A or B section.  I'm trying to get to them to get their stuff and put it in the car in time, but they give up and run off to join the race (carrying their sweatshirts and purses) that is starting in approx. 2 minutes.  I go back to the car to lock it and pin on my number and time chip.  By the time I finish that and get to the starting point the race had already started and everyone was long gone.

I was pretty frustrated and honestly, I'm getting a bit frustrated again writing this.  But it was a lesson in clear communication to my sister and I.  Megan, I'm so sorry you had to run in 70 degree weather wearing your purse and a sweatshirt.  And Priscilla, I'm asking you lots of questions to have everything clear next time :)


My poor timing chip that never got worn.

And if you have no idea where my title comes from you have not watched the movie Cool Hand Luke.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

*Rolling on the floor laughing*

You just made my day!