"It's Okay...I'm in Training"

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

Proverbs 16: 18-19

I have never owned a decent set of matching pots and pans. When my husband and I got married (almost eight years ago) we were given lots of different items that we hodge-podged together. After five or six years we "upgraded" to a matching set I found at the thrift store. Those lasted a while, but the last time I made a lemon meringue pie, hubby asked why I had used pepper in the recipe. No dearest, that would be Teflon flakes. It took all of ten seconds to realize that we needed new cookware and fast.

A friend of mine has a great set of Belgique cookware that she purchased years and years ago. They still look absolutely brand new and she raved about how well they have held up over time. So, I went on the hunt and found them at our local Macy's! The best part is that they have a lifetime warranty and I found them on clearance! (Did I mention- they are a matching set?)

My husband wished me a "Happy Valentines Day" and off to the mall I went in my trendy little heels. (Nester, you would have been proud). The housewares department is on the first floor and I entered on the second- so down the escalator I went. Click click...clickety click in those cute little shoes. I found my item and lugged the massive box over to the checkout counter. The attentive sales clerk noticed my heels and suggested that I pull up my vehicle to the delivery dock. I smiled sweetly and said with jest, "Oh, it's okay. I'm in training for a triathlon. If I can't carry this box out to my car- I've really got problems!" We all laughed as I turned to carry my box to my awaiting mini-van. Oh, the pride in my little sinful heart.

Then I saw it. It hadn't concerned me before, but now I saw my dilemma in the horizon. The escalator. The ESCALATOR. It was moving like the currant in an angry river... quickly it would swallow me without a second look. I couldn't go back now. I was a triathlon trainer for goodness sake! I persevered. (It's only now that I think about the elevator: helpful and handy. Waiting for the strollers, the handicapped and me- the heeled triathlon participant.)

Have you ever entered an escalator with no hands? And a box the size of TEXAS?! All I can say is it's a miracle I was going 'up'. 'Down' would have been a tragedy I wrote about from my hospital traction bed.

I jumped on. Literally. Jumped. Then...down...down...down I went. Hard. The box caught my forward fall. I teetered and tottered. I tried to look like a lady as I balanced myself in an upright position. Whew. I was on! I had made it! Oh, rats. I have to get off this thing! That was just as much fun. Okay- sidebar. Have you ever seen 'Wild Hearts Can't be Broken?' Do you remember when the poor blind girl decides against all odds to dive her horse and during her horrific training sessions she reaches out for the reigns and... Yeah, that was me.

Pride definitely goes before a fall. But, it certainly doesn't follow it- especially when all the makeup artists of Macy's are watching you fall onto the second floor of their store.