My Emergency Contact

Recently single, I was feeling pretty alone in life. 

Sure, I had friends, but there’s a difference between having buddies to hang out with and having “your person”.

Hitting my 50s without a plus-one wasn’t the plan I always dreamed of, but I was determined to make the most of things in this new solo role.

I figured a good first step would be to take all the attention I’d previously poured into others in my life and pay more attention to myself.

So I signed up at a gym.

I know. Insert eye roll.

But with a broken heart, I felt anything but strong, at least emotionally. I figured I could at least work on the physical side of things.

So off I went to fill out the required membership forms, full of determination as I parked my car in the lot for the first time.

Older, and not in the best shape of my life, it was more than intimidating watching the other super-fit folks walk in for their various workouts.

I told myself I’d be looking like the rest of them in no time. Part of me even believed it.

Immediately, the cute 20-something gal at the front desk put me at ease.  She sat with me going through the enrollment documents.

Name and address. Easy enough.

Next line.

Emergency contact.

It stopped me cold.

I no longer had one of those. My family lived out of state. My friends were busy, with kids to raise and husbands at home. I didn’t want to put it on them to have to rush to my rescue if I passed out pushing it on a treadmill.

That simple line on the form was a punch to the gut.

Tears started to form in my eyes as the realization clicked that I really was alone.

But the sweet gal who was helping me fill out my forms didn’t miss a beat.

She saw the tears and quickly said she had me covered.

I was in disbelief. Was she really going to be so kind as to put her own name down on the form for me, after we just met?!

Well, no. 

She had a different answer to fill in that glaring blank line.

She picked up her pen and for first name, she wrote Call.

Last name: Ambulance.

My new emergency contact was Call Ambulance. 

And with that, I couldn’t help but laugh. 

Hard.

As alone as I felt, her simple answer for my having nobody was to remind me, we all have someone. Even if it’s just the rescue crew in the ambulance.