Irony. An incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected results. Most often used in sentences of the "isn't it ironic that" variety.
With a bunch of vehicle maintenance and one dentist appointment scheduled for Friday, we decided that it was a good time for me to use a vacation day. That allowed us to drop the car off Thursday night, and still arrange it so I could do my training and attend a meeting while Mrs. Pol could see the dentist and run some errands. With the extra time at home, I worked to finish installing network connections to our server.
The kids enjoyed that, as they got to help with things like operate the shop vac, steal my wrenches, and watch me put holes in walls. The high point of the day was when my son got to pull CAT-5 cable through the holes using a fish tape. He was excited, and it saved time. Well, until he decided to push the cables back INTO the holes, so they weren't "in the way." Even so, it was probably a wash.
As I was unable to actually complete the connections on Friday, I headed back downstairs on Saturday night (the server sits under the basement staircase). Here's the irony part. I stepped over a box to get at the cables and connection box and walked right onto the claw of a hammer. Though we avoided any trips to the hospital, my plans for the 15K race next Saturday may be shot.
There are three rules my kids are used to hearing. The first is a near daily comment. "Watch where you are walking." Whether it's walls, toys, furniture, or siblings, my children regularly run into or through things that mess them up. The other two are "workplace" guidelines. Always wear protective gear (including shoes and gloves) and don't leave tools laying around.
When I realized I had stepped on a hammer that I had left laying out, I had to laugh at myself. By failing to "do as I say," I had set myself up. The bright side? The kids were in bed. Only my wife saw the outcome of my choices.
Sometimes, we get complacent. In this case, the loss of focus only cost me a sore foot, and may possibly sideline me for a race I want to run. That's really a cheap price to pay. Other times, complacency can be more costly. Perhaps it's forgetting to replace items in your bike bag. Perhaps it's money left on the table when heading out for a long ride. Or maybe it's riding without a helmet because "it's just a short ride." The RoadID left at home the one time it's needed.
Triathletes tend to obsess over things. That's a good thing as one of those things is safety. Apparently, I need to apply some of the focus when I'm at home. I could have done with a bit of obsessing Saturday night.
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