The Stolen Carabiner

The morning of January 12, 2022 was just like any other day; I got dressed and ready for school, went upstairs, had some breakfast, filled my hydro flask, and opened one of the games on my phone to play.

When my alarm went off to leave, I grabbed my hydro flask, my backpack, and my phone. I continued to play my game for a minute or two, holding my phone horizontally with my right hand, and carrying my hydro flask with my left.

After walking past the institute building and crossing the street at the crosswalk, I arrived at the building where my first class was: English 2010.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I paid attention to class and then left when it was over.

On Monday, two days before, I decided to walk to the library to login to zoom for my next class. (I have economics completely through zoom this semester.)

However, that morning, I brought my laptop, allowing me to login to zoom without going to the library. I ended up staying in the education building (where my first class and last class of the day are).

There is a common area on the second floor, with couches, two tables, and a few round ottomans that are the same color as the couches. (Go SUU, way to color coordinate!)

It was pretty empty at 11:52am, so I chose a couch and sat down.

After my zoom was over, I packed my laptop into my backpack, and headed off to my next class.

We were only about 10-15 minutes through the beginning of class when my lips began to complain of being dry and chapped.

No worries, I thought. I’ll just grab the chapstick on my hydro flask.

Except it wasn’t there.

It wasn’t anywhere.

Slightly panicked, I remained seated and tried really hard to pay attention to class. My dry, cracked lips were very upset with me, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t ask someone if they had chapstick…not with Covid plaguing our world.

When class ended, I zoomed out of there to find my hydro flask.

Luckily, my last class of the day is in the same building that my first class of the day is in. It’s also in the same building where I relaxed on a couch to join my economics class on zoom.

To my great frustration, the common area was much busier, and someone was sitting in the spot I was sitting in earlier. I walked over and asked him if he had seen my hydro, to which he replied, “no.”

I continued, “you haven’t seen a big dark blue hydro? Anywhere?”

Again, “no.”

I noticed that a few other people checked around them, and I appreciated that.

He did not look around. He barely looked up from his computer.

I wanted desperately to look around, have the guy stand up, look under his stuff, (he had a huge pile of stuff next to him on the couch: his backpack, a coat, books…) and not give up until I found it.

But I couldn’t.

For one thing, that’s not socially acceptable. For second thing, I had class that was about to start.

UGH!

I left the common area and went to class.

But MAN…when I tell you I was panicking, it’s an understatement. My lips were burning, I was thirsty, and I have an emotional attachment to my hydro. It’s slightly embarrassing, but it’s true.

My English class happens to be directly across the hall from the classroom I was in, so when people started filing out of the room, I left my class (they probably assumed I was going to the bathroom) and slipped into the other room. I looked everywhere for my hydro flask, but it simply wasn’t there.

I went over my day in my head. I remembered carrying my hydro flask to school because I remembered playing my game and having to carry my hydro on the left arm instead of my right.

I hadn’t gone to the library that day. I had been to three places, and three places alone.

Hmm. Where could it be then?

I walked back out into the common area, but that guy was still there!

I was losing it! Losing my cool, losing my patience, losing hope…

I left the common area, extremely disappointed, and went back to class.

For at least 20 minutes, I prayed and prayed and prayed. I barely paid attention to my professor. I just continued to send up many prayers of “PLEASE HELP ME FIND MY HYDRO…I need it…please…please…” followed by, “please Heavenly Father help me find my hydro.”

It was a mix of patience, hope, and me FREAKING OUT!

The professor got a call that her son was going to the hospital (he is okay now), so she ended class early to go be there with him.

Relieved that I could go check the common area again (where else could it be?!), I packed my stuff quickly and exited the room.

I cannot express to you my relief, my gratitude, and my happiness when I saw my hydro flask sitting in the center of the room, atop an ottoman.

Upon closer examination, I noticed that my carabiner was missing…including the chapstick holder, my peppermint chapstick, two elastics, and my brand-new hand sanitizer pocket as well as my mini hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works.

I was so disappointed. Followed by anger. Then sadness. And confusion.

I thought about it for quite some time afterwards…why would he (it was probably the guy who didn’t even look around for it…the one who said, “no.”) steal my carabiner with the chapstick holder, my chapstick, the mini hand sanitizer and the pocket for it, and not the hydro flask?

What’s up with that?

*cue tangent*

Have you ever seen Wreck it Ralph?

If not, Wikipedia says: “Arcade-game character Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is tired of always being the “bad guy” and losing to his “good guy” opponent, Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer). Finally, after decades of seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides to take matters into his own hands. He sets off on a game-hopping trip to prove that he has what it takes to be a hero. However, while on his quest, Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade.”

I’m going to spoil part of the ending, so if you haven’t seen the movie and want to watch it first, go right ahead and stop reading here.

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During the movie, Ralph becomes friends with Vanellope Von Schweetz. He is told she is a “glitch” and cannot leave the game.

At the end, everything is going to pieces: the world is being destroyed, the Sugar Rush characters are leaving the game in a hurry, and Ralph is trying to get out of there ASAP with Vanellope.

Ralph carries Vanellope to the exit, but it won’t let her leave. She’s stuck in the game.

Ralph tries everything to perhaps squeeze her through, but to no avail.

I thought of this in relation to my hydro flask.

Maybe the guy did try to steal it. Maybe, like Vanellope Von Schweetz, my hydro simply couldn’t leave the building (without me).

He might have attempted to leave the building, but an “error” message went off. The hydro set off a silent alarm, and it rebounded against an unseeable force!

I suppose, more realistically, he thought about taking it, and realized that it wouldn’t be worth it. Maybe he thought about it and knew he’d feel guilty. Maybe Heavenly Father discouraged him from taking it.

To be honest with you…I don’t care what the reason was for why he didn’t steal it.

I’m just so grateful.

So very grateful.

It’s unfortunate that he stole my carabiner et al., but I can live with that.

I’ll be okay.

Because I know prayer works. It doesn’t always work the same way and in the same time frame, but I know it works.

I’m grateful it helped me find my hydro flask.

I’m grateful for the comfort it gives me each day.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to communicate with our Heavenly Father.

I’m grateful.

So very grateful.

So next time, perhaps the title will be, “The Found Hydro Flask” rather than “The Lost Carabiner.”

Because at the end of the day, everything turned out okay.