Last week, I broke the nosepiece of my goggles. I'd never tried swimming without them since I got them. It turns out, I never did learn how to open my eyes when they're wet (let alone underwater). I have a powerful edge to brush the water off, and it's really hard to just keep them open.
I assume I'd get used to it, but I was reluctant to try (especially when I wanted to squeeze in 20 lengths before work). I ended up swimming with my head half out of water, like I used to, and it worked, but didn't feel very efficient.
I was sure my goggles came with three nosepieces: small, medium and large, but despite finding the plastic boxes the lenses came in, and the hard can you're supposed to keep them in (which now I think I will), and the nose clip I didn't use much, I couldn't find them.
Did I imagine it? I remember vividly choosing the medium nosepiece, but it possible I imagined it? Or that I accidentally threw out the other two in the jiffy bag the goggles were delivered in?
It doesn't help that I wasn't sure if they'd be in the drawer at work, or the bedside drawer at home, or somewhere else. Although I'm very pleased that there was only really one likely place at home, I didn't have to turn out EVERY box in the house not sure where I would have put them. I kept saying "they're not here, I'll check at home again" or "they're not here, I'll check at work again".
Replacement nosepiece plus can and strap with shipping cost more than £10. How long had I spent looking before it would be better to admit I'd lost them. And though £10 is expensive for a small bit of plastic, the goggles are certainly worth it and there's no cheaper way of cobbling them together. Although I wonder if it was a plastic bit which could be 3d-printed?
But this morning, having a last thorough search of the drawer at work, I found them. They weren't in the boxes, they were in a miniature plastic bag that was almost invisible.
I felt really glad. (Though this was my last check before ordering the replacements, so I wouldn't have been without for more than a few days more.)
This week has been one of my least-successful gym weeks. I've been swimming twice, but only 20 lengths each. And I hope to go running at the weekend, but I'm not sure I'll actually have time.
But I'm also really glad that this was bad because of the combination of (1) taking the car for a service, so not having time before or after work (2) walking to the beer festival so I could drink, and not having time to go via the gym in the morning (3) being busy every day and (4) not having goggles. And I never felt that I was glad of an excuse to avoid it -- I was annoyed I couldn't go, and it feels like it's a genuine exception of which there've been one or two before. And I have beeminder reminders to tell me that next week, I should go three times, not say "well, I didn't go last week so why bother".