keys
As I was leaving for work today, and fumbling with my big ring of keys, I realized how much keys have defined my life.
I got my first set of keys at the age of 9 when my mom decided to go back to school, and in turn start working at an after school learning center. This change involved me having to go home and be alone for an hour or so several days a week until my sister made it home from school. The keys were to the garage door and the basement door. I should have worn this first badge of adulthood as something special, but instead was utterly mortified by the fact that my mom forced me to wear them tied around my neck on a yellow shoelace. Day after day when kids saw that shoelace they would question me on why I was wearing a bathing suit to school... and this "badge" of courage became something I abhorred more and more.
As I made it into junior high I must have finally obtained my first set of real keys that opened the front door, as I remember losing my purse in 9th grade, and having my older sister change all the locks.I remember the way my whole family looked down at me for being so foolish to lose my keys... and the further mortification that we had to shell out a ton of money to fix the locks because of my stupidity.
When I was 17 and first got my license, I also earned a few more kings on my ring. Now I had the keys to the car... a ticket to practically anywhere (as long as I didn't cross route 19). I now was becoming and adult and I loved it.
Also at 17 I left for college for the first time and got two more keys on my ring. Those to my door room and mail box. Finally I had space of my own and an area that no one was allowed into once I locked the door. I had the ability to trap anyone in or out of my space that I wished.
At 19 I quit college and took time off and got my first taste of REAL adult keyholding abilities... I had the keys to the office. Not that anyone wanted anything in the office except for the computers... but it was a start. I was "in charge" of something for the first time. This was the year I also put a key lock on my bedroom to "protect my stuff" from the theiving hands of my sister. I now knew the sacredness of personal key space... and didn't want to give it up.
At 20, I went back to school and earned a few more keys including dorm keys, and a mailbox key (again), and several keys to several different family cars. No longer did my keys have rules and regulations attached to them. With my keys I was able to go anywhere, and no parents were there to watch over my shoulder.
At 23 I first became a key holder at the jewelry store. It was official... these were important keys. I was in charge of opening and closing the store, being in charge of millions of dollars of product, the safe... the cash register. I was a real adult.
At 24 I got my first set of someone else's keys. Now I could come and go at not just my apartment, my parents house, my store, my cars... but someone else's home. I was no longer a guest... I suddenly had the rights of a key holder.
Also at 24, I lost my key privlidge and then for the first time shared keys with people I barely knew. These were keys of privacy... keys that let people in, or locked strangers out. These keys were ones of quietness and sneaking around to not disturb others... keys of solitude and togetherness.
At 25 I got my first set of OUR keys. For the first time I went into an endevor with someone and had "our" place.. our house, our belongings, our everything. No longer was I protecting my stuff or their stuff with the keys... it meant much more than that.
At 26 I got my first set of "emergency" keys. No I owned keys that belonged to a friend so I could check in on their cat when they were out of town, or they could use incase they accidentally lost their own. Someone trusted me to help protect their stuff, and it felt nice.
Now at 27, I am in a weird mix of keys. No longer do I have house keys,or keys to my parents place readily available... instead I have our keys, a friend's keys, my gym lock keys, and my own new apt keys all on one chain... and I have to tell you... the weight of all the keys... now and then is unbareable. I just wish I could go back to the times when I just had a couple of keys on a yellow shoelace... and all of these keys just didn't matter.
I got my first set of keys at the age of 9 when my mom decided to go back to school, and in turn start working at an after school learning center. This change involved me having to go home and be alone for an hour or so several days a week until my sister made it home from school. The keys were to the garage door and the basement door. I should have worn this first badge of adulthood as something special, but instead was utterly mortified by the fact that my mom forced me to wear them tied around my neck on a yellow shoelace. Day after day when kids saw that shoelace they would question me on why I was wearing a bathing suit to school... and this "badge" of courage became something I abhorred more and more.
As I made it into junior high I must have finally obtained my first set of real keys that opened the front door, as I remember losing my purse in 9th grade, and having my older sister change all the locks.I remember the way my whole family looked down at me for being so foolish to lose my keys... and the further mortification that we had to shell out a ton of money to fix the locks because of my stupidity.
When I was 17 and first got my license, I also earned a few more kings on my ring. Now I had the keys to the car... a ticket to practically anywhere (as long as I didn't cross route 19). I now was becoming and adult and I loved it.
Also at 17 I left for college for the first time and got two more keys on my ring. Those to my door room and mail box. Finally I had space of my own and an area that no one was allowed into once I locked the door. I had the ability to trap anyone in or out of my space that I wished.
At 19 I quit college and took time off and got my first taste of REAL adult keyholding abilities... I had the keys to the office. Not that anyone wanted anything in the office except for the computers... but it was a start. I was "in charge" of something for the first time. This was the year I also put a key lock on my bedroom to "protect my stuff" from the theiving hands of my sister. I now knew the sacredness of personal key space... and didn't want to give it up.
At 20, I went back to school and earned a few more keys including dorm keys, and a mailbox key (again), and several keys to several different family cars. No longer did my keys have rules and regulations attached to them. With my keys I was able to go anywhere, and no parents were there to watch over my shoulder.
At 23 I first became a key holder at the jewelry store. It was official... these were important keys. I was in charge of opening and closing the store, being in charge of millions of dollars of product, the safe... the cash register. I was a real adult.
At 24 I got my first set of someone else's keys. Now I could come and go at not just my apartment, my parents house, my store, my cars... but someone else's home. I was no longer a guest... I suddenly had the rights of a key holder.
Also at 24, I lost my key privlidge and then for the first time shared keys with people I barely knew. These were keys of privacy... keys that let people in, or locked strangers out. These keys were ones of quietness and sneaking around to not disturb others... keys of solitude and togetherness.
At 25 I got my first set of OUR keys. For the first time I went into an endevor with someone and had "our" place.. our house, our belongings, our everything. No longer was I protecting my stuff or their stuff with the keys... it meant much more than that.
At 26 I got my first set of "emergency" keys. No I owned keys that belonged to a friend so I could check in on their cat when they were out of town, or they could use incase they accidentally lost their own. Someone trusted me to help protect their stuff, and it felt nice.
Now at 27, I am in a weird mix of keys. No longer do I have house keys,or keys to my parents place readily available... instead I have our keys, a friend's keys, my gym lock keys, and my own new apt keys all on one chain... and I have to tell you... the weight of all the keys... now and then is unbareable. I just wish I could go back to the times when I just had a couple of keys on a yellow shoelace... and all of these keys just didn't matter.