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| Of coffee & keyrings | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 1 2005, 10:16 AM (236 Views) | |
| Dewey | Nov 1 2005, 10:16 AM Post #1 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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(...written this morning while sitting in a Panera bread/coffeeshop. Warning: Christian content follows; proceed no further if this is offensive to you. It's a journal entry made after reading the Beatitudes. Oddly enough, it was spawned by staring at my key ring...) My keyring is too big. Sure, I've seen other people's keyrings that are bigger - some look like they could do double duty as boat anchors - but mine's big enough. I'm sitting here having a cup of coffee, staring at it sitting on the tabletop, because it's too painful to sit on if it were in my back pocket. Taking a mental survey of what's on it, I note: the remote and the key for the truck, and a house key, of course. But what else? A key to my wife's car. Okay, that makes sense. A key to the garage door; also logical. A key to a storage locker that holds surplus office furniture, that I'll bet I need once every year or so. A key to my mother's house - the exact same key handed to me as a teenager, having been transferred from key ring to key ring ever since, following me into middle age - that I need about as often. A bar-coded YMCA membership card that I should use more often, but I don't. A similar bar-coded "Kroger Plus Card" that would save me money on groceries, but I always forget to show it to the cashier when checking out. Now, I suppose I could take some of these things off my "everyday" key ring, and make a secondary set that I could take along with me when I really needed to, but I'll allow myself the questionable logic of keeping them with me all the time. What's really odd are two other things on the ring - an electronic keycard, and a standard key, to access an office that I haven't occupied in almost six months. In all that time, I've known that the keycard has long since been deprogrammed, and the lock on the office door has been re-keyed. I'm never going back - I couldn't if I wanted to. So why are these things still on my key ring, adding to confusion (since the one key looks exactly like my house key) and being a continual, literal, pain in the butt? It isn't any kind of psycho-drama, really. It isn't a subconcious refusal to let go of my former existence with a nice, big office and staff. Honestly, it's just been a combination of laziness and a lack of attention. I'd simply grown accustomed to my key ring's size and content, and the discomfort it caused. I had failed to open my eyes to the realization that I can actually do something about it. Jesus told us that we are blessed if we are meek; if we thirst for righteousness; if we're merciful; pure in heart; peacemakers. I think sometimes we think "sounds great, but how can I be expected to live like that in today's world?" The truth is that we have opportunities to live more Christlike lives every single day, but out of our own laziness and lack of paying attention, we miss so many of these opportunities. We just grow accustomed to things in our lives that are equally painful, destructive and unnecessary. By periodically taking stock of our lives - especially the parts we've become most familiar with and accustomed to - we can find ways to better live in Christ, and actually make it better and less painful for ourselves in the process. As for me, I'm going to take a moment and trim down my real key ring before I get up from this table - keep the good, prune the useless and painful - and I'm going to watch for ways I can work on the "virtual key ring" of my life, as well. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Nov 1 2005, 10:24 AM Post #2 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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Very inspiring and interesting, Dwain! Thanks for the story! On a literal note, here's the things on my keyring I refuse to let go of: I have a backdoor key and a front key of my parent's house. They have one hidden outside and I'm actually at home maybe 10 times a year; I have no use for either key. A Kroger Plus Shopper's Card. I've moved, and I can't even tell you where the nearest Kroger's is. A key to my parent's car. I know, random. My prized posession is the key to my 1987 Volvo sedan. It died recently after hitting 288,000 miles. I just can't throw away the key, even though it's been sold to a trash dump. My first car, and it was quite magnificient.
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| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| kenny | Nov 1 2005, 10:43 AM Post #3 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I carry the minimum. 1. Fob 2. Car key 3. key for steering wheel club 4. House key Other keys I keep near where I use them. The key to my PO box is kept in my car. The key to my tool box at work is kept at work. All the other various keys are at home on one ring. |
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| The 89th Key | Nov 1 2005, 11:04 AM Post #4 |
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Interesting thought Dwain. Sort of reminds me of the fact that a toad dropped into hot water will immediately jump out from the shock. But a toad that's in water that is slowly heated will eventually burn to death after getting used to the ever-slowly increasing heat. As with our lives, many things we are accustomed to, or learn to live around...instead of facing those trials and tribulations face-on. On a literal note, of course, on my keyring I have: Speedpass Personal Safe Key Apartment Building electronic key 2 sets of my car door key and ignition key Mailbox key Apartment key Parent's house key Key to my old house I moved from last year PO Box key for my business Harris Teeter discount club mini-card ...and I recently had a YMCA card that I took off a few weeks ago. I have this one key that I have NO IDEA as to what it goes to, but I leave it on because I know one day I'll meet a lock, that needs that key...and I'll remember. |
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| tcmod | Nov 1 2005, 11:12 AM Post #5 |
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Senior Carp
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Great big heavy key rings are not good for your ignition. or so I have heard. |
| Dead girls don't say no, but you still have to buy them flowers | |
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