Serpentine Surprise

It’s a Thursday afternoon and like all good retirees, I’m running my mundane errands during the middle of the day. I pull into a parking spot at the local post office and as I reach for the handle to my door, I see a sign on the car next to me, “Caution, live snakes inside.”

OH. HELL. NO.

I’m sure snakes have their role in the ecosystem, parading around all high and mighty as nature’s pest control. I, however, am not a fan. I do not like snakes. I do not want to look at, think about or park next to snakes.

Staying true to my authentic snake-despising self, I ungracefully scale the center console and slither into the passenger side of the car. From there, I complete my dismount with a very clumsy departure from the vehicle, neither nailing the landing, nor caring that I didn’t nail the landing.

Taking a wide berth around the live-snake-carrying car, I make it into the post office without a serpent sighting. The post office has two postal workers, an older gentleman, me and zero snakes. Knowing I’m safe amongst other ophidiophobiacs, I ask, “OK, who has the live snakes in their car?”

My question is mostly rhetorical and partially mood-lightening because I know we’re all in there to get away from the venomous vehicle. 

Well, at least I am. 

The two postal workers are most likely in there because this is where they work. And naturally, the adorable older man is innocent because … well, he’s an adorable older man.

The adorable older man turns and says, “The live snakes are only in there on Mondays and Wednesdays.”

What the actual hell?

The cunning experienced adult has preyed on the automatic self-preserving behavior patterns of my reptilian brain (ironically, the oldest layer of my brain).

He proceeds to tell me that a few years ago someone broke into his car. 

The responding police officer asked if he had security cameras. The gentleman did not.

The police officer asked if he had an alarm system. The gentleman did not.

How about a computer and a printer? The gentleman had both.

The printed sign the cop recommended is the same sign that made me snake around the car and into the lair of the post office.

The sign was intended only as a deterrent.

Today, the sign is both a deterrent and a conversation starter.

The cunning, ornery man, 88 years young became a fast friend as we laughed and swapped jokes. He won with one about an 85-year-old woman on birth control pills (e-mail me if you want the full joke).

This unexpected encounter sheds light on the timeless lesson of the power of humor as we go through life’s serpentine twists and turns. 

It's easy to get caught up in our our fears of the unknown (or the known in the case of my fear of snakes). 

Life throws us cold-blooded curveballs and we need to adapt quickly to scale those unexpected challenges.

That simple sign was a figurative sign reminding me to think outside the snake pit and find humor in life's quirks. 

In a world filled with serious matters, uncertainties and snakes, a good laugh bridges gaps, creates connections and reminds us that even the most unusual situations can bring people together.

Embrace the unexpected, find humor in the absurd and be open to forming connections with those we initially perceive as strangers. Those are powerful antidotes to the mundane.

You never know when what seems mundane can turn into a delightful and heartwarming encounter.