Losing My Keys

I used to lose my keys.

A lot.

Especially in the mornings as I was trying to get to work.

When I was living with my my mom, dad and sister and lost my keys I would always run around frantically and demand of whoever was in the house at the time where they had put my keys....

Later, I moved out and then the fear was that I had locked them in the car or left them in the mailbox or the front door of my apartment. Then I would imagine somebody had taken them and were lying in wait until I left so they could come in and rob me blind.

I worked as a security guard for Dell Computer my first few years in Austin. I eventually worked into a 7am-3pm shift.

Understand that if you're working as a security guard, even though you are scheduled to work until a certain time, you may not get to go home at that time.

Certainly when I was working my way through college on a 3-11 shift it was always during finals week that inspired my relief to quit showing up and I'd have to work a double shift.

With no hope of sleep until after the final exams of the day, this always stuck in my craw a little bit when it happened.

Happily, the extra 8 hours always seemed to improve my test score each time it happened.

So that brings us to Austin, where I was working the forementioned day shift, and forgetting my keys.

Towards the end of an 11am-7am shift, one is always pleased to see the relief show up at 7.

These things were in my mind one particular morning as I was frantically searching for those elusive keys.

The clock was ticking closer and closer to 7 AM, and my keys were
GONE.

I searched and searched, working up a bit of a sweat and a panic, but no keys.

Even though I had already checked, I continued to pad down my pants pockets to make sure they weren't they-as if I had missed them the first time.

In despair, I gave up.

I slumped down on the floor and laid up against my bed. I called Miriam, an older wiser spiritual person who gets up early every day.

She suggested I get still and pray about it.

We got off the phone, and I followed her advice.

Unsure of what to do next, I put my hands down slightly under the bed to push myself back up, and under my right hand I felt a familiar friend.

My keys!

Since then I have been in many similar situations like this since, not so much anymore as I have learned to put my keys in the same place everyday.

Also loading them down with keyrings and other non-essential items gives it more girth and weight.

Getting quiet and praying seems to always take care of the situation.