Keys. Wallet. Phone.

Keys. Wallet. Phone.

Keys. Wallet. Phone.

This is the mantra that runs through my mind whenever I’m leaving to go somewhere. I even tap both my front pockets and my back-left pocket to make sure I have all three. Before entering the Wild West that is the World, I want to make sure that I have these items:

• my keys — so that I can drive off into the sunset if need be.
• my wallet — so that I can pay for gas to drive toward said sunset.

AND

• my phone — so I can call my wife to let her know I won’t be home ‘til after dark.

Keys. Wallet. Phone.

It’s like a neurotic twitch. I’m a little crazy, for sure, but you really don’t realize just how precious these items are until you lose them.

The other day I misplaced my wallet. When I figured out that it was missing, terrible thoughts started trampling in from the darker side of my mind. Shit! Do I have to go back to the DMV…do I really have to get a new Social Security card?! Fuck, what if someone empties my bank account, or worse, steals my identity?!

I started stumbling down this emotional rabbit hole before I had even checked everywhere. Seeing my frustration level starting to spike, my wife assured me that we would find it and all would be well. She reasoned that “it has to be somewhere in the car, in the house, or somewhere in-between.” Logically I understood the facts, but my emotion-fueled thoughts overcame any well-reasoned ones at this point. Undeterred, she asked me where I had looked thus far and proceeded to check behind me, like the calm angel that she is.

And what do you know? She found it in about two seconds…and without a breath of vexation. After crashing back to earth on my emotional rollercoaster, I realized yet again just how lucky I am. As debilitating as it can feel to misplace or actually lose these valuables altogether, what’s truly important are the ones in your life that are there to help you find them.

I love you, darling.