Today, I got locked out of my apartment. Twice. I had my key in hand, even a spare key, and neither would work. Luckily, at the time (both times) I had nowhere to be really. I caught the maintenance guy right before he was leaving at 5, and after snapping my key in half and drilling the door open, he told me he was going to put on a new lock and my normal key would work when I got home. I left, the fate of my ability to enter my own home in his hands.

Upon my return, I had a chipotle burrito, a very full bladder, and nothing to drink with my burrito. I put my key in the lock and nothing happened. It did not move. Locked out again! I called the emergency lock out line and the guy told me he would be there in 20 minutes. Desperate, I jumped in my car and ran to Giant to pee, stopping at a soda machine for a root beer I was desperately craving to enjoy with my burrito. I put in my cash, hit the root beer button, and boom, out comes a diet Pepsi. Awesome. Thanks, nature, for telling me I’ve reached my calorie consumption for the day!

I returned home and the man got there shortly after, seeing that my key indeed did not work. He tried his version of my key and the door opened. My key was in fact the right key, it just wouldn’t work any longer. After the initial anxiety wore off, I got to thinking about how this situation can apply to life and my day 9 lent reflection.

It’s funny how things can still be a good fit, but just not work for you anymore. Relationships, jobs, living situations. I think that many of us, myself included, will stick with something because we feel we are supposed to…it “fits”, gets the job done, makes sense. But the joy and happiness we once got from this person, place, or thing just isn’t there. It’s lost it’s luster, because maybe there is something better out there that is a good fit as well, but just works BETTER. And we may be scared to go out there and try to find it, because change is hard, it is scary, it can keep you up at night and steal your focus during the day. But change is sometimes necessary. If something doesn’t work anymore, change it. If the change isn’t coming as soon as you want it to, work harder. Make it happen.

Day 9 I no longer fear change, I no longer give up because what I’m trying to make happen is taking too long. I’ll keep trying until I have the right fit that also just works for me, my husband, and our fabulous life we are starting.