I'm losing my keys?

I consider myself to be above average intelligence, capable and competent, yet too often I find myself in a panic looking for my keys or is it my mind? A couple of days ago my wife had one of those moments that initially you get mad, frustrated and then really upset. We were at a fancy resort; the summer brings low rates, with a group of teens celebrating the end of our summer program. We were enjoying the variety of pools and our gigantic fancy room. Towards the end of the night I was about to get some pizza with a few of the teens when I realized my wife had my key for the little van. I quickly did the key exchange and left for my favorite pizza place – Barros. Little did I know I had just literally tossed my keys into the abyss never to be seen again.

The next morning we did a thorough search of the resort room, our various vehicles and then our home. The end result was NOTHING. How in the world is it possible for a key ring with every known key for my existence to disappear? Doesn’t God know that this isn’t funny, that it will cost hundreds to replace everything thanks to smart keys with chips and then there’s the keyless remote. I felt badly for my Anne at first but realized she’s the culprit not me so she should be able to figure out what she did with my keys. Clearly I still had her keys and didn’t lose them during our overnighter.

I assured my best friend that a lost set of keys wasn’t going to cause divorce or separation. Yet, we were at a loss after calling the resort a few times assuming that clearly the keys had been dropped in the parking lot and would be turned into the front desk. So yes we retraced our whereabouts the last night attempting to visualize what had happened. Is it possible that the key demon just tossed them into the bushes alongside the parking lot? Did one of the teens actually think they could play a joke on us and get away with it?

Regardless of what could have happened the stark reality was that I had to scrounge around and put together another set of keys. Yes I’m missing a few irreplaceable keys that will cause a little heartburn. Is this truly a tragedy on the par of an earthquake, tornado or tsunami? NO! Clearly my wife’s ego and mine have been bruised fearful that we are both facing the onset of early Dementia. So what could we do differently to have avoided this blunder?

I think most figure out hopefully sooner than later to always have the same place to put your wallet, keys, phone, etc…. otherwise each morning can be a rush to find them before you fly out the door. What’s even more important is to have an obvious plan when you are away from your home to know how not to misplace your valuables. Looking back I should have realized that my Anne was on her cell with an important call and was a little distracted. I should have taken both sets of keys because I was using the vehicle.

The important lesson out of losing my keys is not to allow this to become bigger than life. Yes, it is possible to allow something as crazy stupid as misplacing your keys, wallet or even your iPhone to become a point of contention with your spouse or teen? Is this really going to ruin my life and make it impossible to live the next day? NO!! Yet, if I allow my emotions to rule me it can cause a silly rift that in time can become real bitterness that can destroy a relationship.

Is the solution not to go on trips, have fun or splurge on occasion? Clearly not but maybe I need to always have an extra set of keys that are prepared for emergencies. So am I really losing my mind? I don’t think so but clearly I lost my keys. The good news is that I have replaced all of them and my life is back on track and I'm still married to the same amazing lady for 42 years!!