A Smile Before You Go
Life has given all of us some unforgettable moments…
Some profound.
Some humbling.
Some that still make us laugh out loud.
From time to time, I’ll add another true story to this collection.
Every one of them is true.
I hope one of them leaves you smiling.
Safe Coffee
Lake Tahoe, California
I flew to California to spend a few days skiing at beautiful Lake Tahoe.
After arriving the night before, I woke up early, made myself a cup of coffee,
and settled in to enjoy what turned out to be one of the best cups of coffee I’d ever had.
Just then, the phone rang.
It was one of those calls that couldn’t wait.
By the time I finished talking, my coffee had gone cold.
No problem, I thought.
I’ll just warm it up.
I carried my cup into the kitchen, found what I was looking for,
placed the coffee inside, closed the door, and pressed 1:00.
Nothing happened.
I tried 2:00.
Still nothing.
I pushed several other buttons, becoming more confused by the second.
But I was determined.
I wasn’t going to let a microwave, no matter how fancy, beat me!
Finally, I called room service.
“Good morning,” the gentleman answered.
“I think my microwave is broken.”
“What room are you in, sir?”
I told him.
There was a brief pause.
Then he politely replied,
“Sir… there isn’t a microwave in that room.”
I looked directly at it.
“Yes there is,” I insisted.
“My coffee is sitting in it right now.”
Another pause.
Then, in the calmest voice imaginable…
“Sir… that’s the safe.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then something occurred to me.
“There isn’t a Start button.”
I could actually feel myself getting shorter.
Finally, I whispered,
“So… how do I get my coffee out of the safe?”
He explained that the safe would only open if I entered the same combination I had used after closing it.
Really!
I tried several combinations to get that thing to start.
And now, I gotta trust my memory?!
After a few nervous attempts, I remembered that I’d started with one minute.
I entered 1-0-0.
Click.
The door opened.
My coffee was free.
I looked at it for a moment… smelled it, then decided…
the pleasure of sipping on that cup of coffee — disappeared!
I headed out for a day of skiing, praying I wouldn’t run into anyone from room service!