Following a Prompting, 50%

One of our cars has been in and out of the shop for the last week or so. It took them a while to figure out how to fix the problem and thus my little boy and I have been carless off and on for the last little bit. So on Friday when we knew we'd finally have the car I told my little man that we'd be heading to one of this favorite spots, a nearby museum. This was not only a treat because of the lack of having a car for a little while but also because we haven't been there in quite a long time due to the yuckiness of the beginning of pregnancy. He was excited to say the least. He talked about it the whole night before and as soon as he woke up that morning. And so we were off on a fun outing.

Not so. For some reason before we'd even started getting ready for the day I looked for my keys and they were no where to be found. Normally I wouldn't look for them until the moment we were heading out the door and I'd grab them off the counter in the kitchen or my dresser in the bedroom (I really need to find a specific location for them) and we'd be off. But this day from the moment of waking I began the hunt for my keys.

I thought through the day before and where I might have put them and looked in my usual locations with no luck. Then it was on to the hiding spots of our little boy. I searched the couch cushions, behind the couch, in a corner in his playroom, the heating vents and so on and still no sign of my keys. Finally I resorted to calling my husband to see if he might have accidentally taken them to work but his pockets only held his keys. Then it was off to search in the car and eventually to call a sister in the ward whose house I had been to the night before and still nothing.

I was getting frustrated and my little boy was anxious to hit the road. I said a simple prayer asking for help to find my keys and still felt like I had no clue. I decided that maybe I needed to stop focusing on it so much and maybe they'd turn up. Then I had the thought that I should go get ready for the day. This thought came a few times. At this point I was wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts with smeared make-up left on my face from the day before. It was late and I determined that I really should get ready and even thought maybe I am supposed to get ready because somehow my keys made there way into my bathroom drawers. However, it was late enough that I determined I was going to bag a shower for the day and just do my hair and my make-up to feel half-way human. At this point I didn't even change my clothes, at least I felt a little more put together but still no sign of my keys. So I determined that the thought to get ready was just a thought of my own because the keys were not in my bathroom drawers like I had hoped.

So our day went on with no luck, no sign, no grand revelation of where my keys might lie. Then my husband arrived home from work and I told him that they were still no where to be found. He immediately started searching and still...nothing.

That night my parents were making a trip up our way to take me out for a belated Birthday dinner (my birthday was right in the midst of pregnancy yuck). So as my husband was searching everywhere I determined that now not only did I need to get my face and hair ready for the day but the rest of me as well. So still with no shower I headed to change my clothes and yes this includes my under garments. And you'll never guess it, sure enough there they were gleaming, shining, bright as could be at the very top of my drawer just waiting to be found. There they were shouting, "If you'd only have gotten completely ready for the day. If you'd only listened to the prompting that came and listened to it 100%."

I smiled and sheepishly said, "Honey, I found them." It was a great lesson to learn that following a prompting 50% only brings you 50% of the way to an answer. Not only did I waste a day searching for my keys but I lost out on an opportunity to follow through on something I had assured my little boy. The moment I found the keys he showed more excitement than me as he jumped up and down ready to go to the museum. My parents were almost there and the opportunity had passed. I felt bad and on Monday we spent a good hour and half at the museum.

I've learned my lesson - next time I will listen to the prompting and get ready 100%. Next time I will be ready to hear and follow a prompting 100%.