Have you ever noticed that nothing seems to go right when you’re in a hurry?

I was bound and determined to finish all my errands last Friday before I went home, so I could hibernate all weekend.

I stole away from work early, made it to the gym, survived my not-regular-enough workout and had just one stop left — last-minute grocery shopping at the Commissary.

I knew I was fine, because the Commissary is open until 7 p.m. I was ahead of the game. At 6:04 p.m. I approached the Maui Gate on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Seaplane Base, which is the gate closest to the Commissary (as far as I know, at least).

My first clue that my perfect plan was about to be foiled — well, if not foiled, then messed with — were the flashing lights of the base police car by the gate house. Brake lights flashed from the three cars in front of me. Horror! The gates were closed. Yep, I was foiled, for real this time, by perfect military precision. The gates are to close at 6 p.m. and by golly, they really do!

The three cars in front of me and a couple behind me executed simultaneous three-point-turns of which any synchronized swimmer would be proud. It was like a ballet on four wheels.

We stayed together as we headed to Regatta Drive, on our way to Torpedo Gate. An inconvenience, to be sure, but nothing terrible, since I still had plenty of time to get in and out of the Commissary. (Turns out the bigger problem was misplacing my list, meaning my shopping trip was going to take me much longer than I had intended.)

But what if I didn’t have time? What if I’d been turned back at 6:50? I don’t keep track of hours at the gates because usually my trips are made when the most-used gates are typically all open.

I understand all the reasons behind the operating hours at the gates, but as far as the Maui Gate is concerned, please take pity on us poor shoppers who really just need to go to the Commissary and consider leaving it open a little bit longer.

Some of us are just no match for a well-oiled military machine.

-Kathy Reed, editor