I broke into my parents house today.
No, I'm not exaggerating. Yes, it was actually locked. No, I am not a criminal. I'm not sure this is really the way I should begin a blog since I don't know who might be reading this, but it's the truth. Of course I had full consent from my parents to break into their house, but I still did it.
My parents went to Iowa for the weekend and my sister is in Alabama with my brother. My other brother remains in Fort Collins and my dog was with me. Leaving me as the only person to water the flowers at my parent's house. Since I have nothing better to do with my time, I agreed. However, when I arrived all starry eyed and ready to get some work done (mostly excited to use the internet as well), all the doors were locked. I'm talking dead-bolts and all. I called my mother and asked her if she had some sort of plan as to why the door through the garage which was supposed to be left open was actually locked and she responded in distress "It is??".
From then on it got exciting.
Since my parents don't actually have keys to their house (it's a long story...), my dad talked about how he was going to bust a window when he got home in order to get into the house. It seemed a little extreme, but what else could we do? I talked to one of my brothers and he suggested freezing the door handle and then chipping away at it. I'll just grab the E-Z Freeze out of the trunk of my car....
So I was stuck on the wrong side of the door with dying plants inside calling for water. Okay, that's a little extreme, but still. I'm not usually one to give up on things so I proceeded to try and find a way to get in. All the windows were locked of course and so I had no such luck as to just get in. So, instead, I took a set of my keys and began testing them on the door in the garage. One went in but didn't actually unlock the door. However, using this not-a-right-fit key and a screwdriver, I ended up fidgeting with the door and it ended up popping open.
As the door swung open, I literally though, "What the hell?"
I soon after called my parents and described to them what had happened and my dad's words were, "That's not possible." Well, apparently it was because I saved all the plants from dying! As I watered the garden and thought of how funny it was that I had actually broke into a house, I wondered at what had happened if I would have just gone home. I was certainly exhausted when I arrived and had very little interest in putting in much effort. In fact, I had a mind to get Panda Express and just go home and watch a movie. However, I pushed on and was rewarded.
But what if I hadn't? My parents would have come home, after a long trip, to a locked house with no way of getting in. I can't say what might have happened, but I don't doubt that my dad might have broken a window to get in. They would have been exhausted, probably cranky, and more than a little annoyed. My dad's knowledge and experience of locks, keys, and doors would have prevented him from attempting what I so ignorantly did.
Perhaps knowledge isn't always power. There's something to be said for ignorance and pure innovation. Thinking creatively in situations that I am not familiar with certainly has saved me a few times. I can't deny that I'm feeling pretty proud of myself after having committed something of my first "crime". I'll definitely admit to having a little more of a swagger when I walk. I even rewarded myself with Mac N' Cheese (which probably means my mom will have dishes to do when she gets home).
But back to the impossible. I wonder if the impossible really is impossible, or if our knowledge and experience are merely telling us that it is impossible. Clearly, if I had been smart, I would have known that my little trick would never have worked. However, I am not that smart when it comes to locks and bolts and thus, what should have been impossible was possible in my eyes.
Just process that for a second.
How often do you think of things as impossible? I know it happens with me often. "I can't get a book published. It's nearly impossible." "There's no way I can travel to Europe! It's impossible with my job." But maybe it's not. My previous experience is getting in the way. If I was dumber and just made it happen, then these impossible statements wouldn't be possible. ;)
Oh but it's been good fun and I'm happily using the internet. The plants won't die and my parents can now come home happy. In the end my ignorance paid off and after all is said and done, I am left with this final thought....
Where was the neighborhood watch as I broke into the house?
P.S. The bunny has nothing to do with anything. I just think he is freakin' cute! His name is Thump Thump and he lives outside my apartment!
