The Parable of the Lost IPod Charger

There once was a girl who was training for a very important, very long race.  As she began to prepare the week before, she wouldn't located the charger for her IPod shuffle.  Her battery was getting low and certainly didn't have the 7 hour life left she'd need to get her through the race.

Also?  The charger was necessary to transfer the audio book she'd hoped to purchase/listen to during the race.  She frantically searched for the lost charger. 

She looked in the first aid zippy pouch where she normally stored it - not there.

She looked in all her luggage, wondering if she'd forgotten to unpack it - not there.

She check all her gym bags - not there.

She took every item out of her desk drawer at work - not there.

The girl began to panic.  What would she do for 7 hours if she had no music or book plugged into her ears?  Sure she could talk with the best of them, but the course was long and she anticipated find herself alone much of the way.  Also, her cell phone being an older model, she doubted if it, fully charged, would last the whole race if she had to use it to talk a good portion of the way.

She began to ask strangers for advice.

She begged off coworkers.  "Do you have a charger to fit my shuffle?"  Person after person had their own MP3 player, but none that fit this girl's tiny little IPod.

Finally a coworker offered use of his IPod.  Sure it was different than hers, but it was better than nothing.  This comforted the racer, but she realized she would be at his mercy.  What if he forgot it?  What if it wasn't full charged?  What if she couldn't figure out how to use it.

One last time she searched her house.  When was the last time I saw it?  She asked herself.  Maui.  Okay where did I have it in Maui?  She re-searched all the same bags, then stopped to consider that she hadn't searched some of the smaller cosmetic bags she had packed for Maui.

Looking in the linen closet, she found the charger - hidden in the pocket of her toiletries kit.  Excited, she return to the gym bag in order to retrieve the IPod and charge it.

Only the IPod was no where to be found.  After searching the whole house (yet again) she came up empty handed.  Where was the last place I had it? She (yet again) asked herself.  She decided it must have been left one of two places.  She either had it in her lunch bag (that was at her desk at work) or else she'd accidentally left it in the locker room.

Were it in the locker room she knew her IPod - a treasured gift from her sister - was long gone.  She resolved to look first thing when she got to work the next day.

She arrived at work to her normal routine: checking email, arranging the paperwork on her desk, making her "to do list".  About an hour into her day, she remembered the IPod.  The bag was two feet away.  She grabbed it, but hesitated in anticipation. 

She reached her hand into the front flap.

And...

And...

And...

And...

Pulled out the IPod.  She had found it!  Both pieces were reunited and set to charge.  Much rejoicing was done by all her. 

What does this have to do with you?  I think we could all stand to learn the following lessons:

1. You are unique (just like everyone else :P).  There is only one you, so don't assume you can slack off and someone else can do your job.
2. The borrower is slave to the lender.
3. Fulfilling half the requirements still leaves the task completely unfinished. 
4. DON'T GIVE UP HOPE - THINGS WILL WORK OUT!

I hope you're living a story of rejoicing and redemption today.