“I have no idea what this unlocks.” I muttered to myself as I examined the key in my hand. I had been working all morning on the tangle of keys piled on the kitchen table. Since one of my New Year’s resolutions is to organize and simplify my life, the key rack seemed to be a good place to begin. There were at least a dozen key rings. Some sported one key; others clutched up to 17—most were unlabeled.
I started with the easy ones—the few that were labeled. These included keys to neighbors’ homes. We have an exchange agreement in case of emergencies and pet sitting. I put those back on the rack, along with the keys to my parents’ home.
I recognized a couple of the unlabeled keys as possible extra keys to our front door. I locked the door and tried them. One work; one did not. The notching was similar, but not exact. I tossed the mystery key in the garbage. The old brass keys on the brass key chain went to the original lock, now replaced. Why had I saved those? I tossed them, too.
The car and truck keys were also easy to identify because their respective key rings proudly proclaim the make of the vehicle. However, the old pickup presents its own set of irritations. It has three separate keys: one for the doors, one for the ignition and another for the gas tank.
After months of being unable to unlock the bicycle chain, another successful match encouraged me in my quest to re-establish form and function. Next, an old padlock and key were finally reunited! Enthusiasm building, I continued. The duplicate keys to the vintage cedar chest and the key to an old metal trunk aren’t labeled but they are unusual, thus easily identified. I put them back on the rack.
Then, I tentatively identified another key ring that held a variety of small keys, as one that had belonged to my mother-in-law. Since she died almost 30 years ago, it came to me that we have been “keeper of the keys” to boxes, cupboards, and luggage that no longer exist, the old key ring automatically joining our key rack when we cleared out the home place. Maybe it’s time to throw them away.
Why we lock such things at all is a mystery to me—like jewelry boxes and luggage, which are easily carried off. The most valuable things in most mothers’ jewelry boxes are their children’s baby teeth, locks of hair, and a dried corsage from their first Mother’s Day—all locked away from whom? Yet, I remember, as a 13-year-old girl, dutifully locking my diary—another symbolic gesture at most, since a sharp tug on the lock opened it easily. Private thoughts and personal treasures must have much in common.
I admire the fruit of my labor. My key rack is now organized, but it is more than that. One key chain is dangling a whimsical crocheted Oreo cookie, a gift from a friend. A small leather cowboy boot hangs from another ring. A small wooden cross shares a ring with a medallion of a praying child that has all of the painted features worn off. The latter was given to me for Christmas one year by my boys when they were young. It’s the most valuable.
Practical trinkets hanging from the key chains include a small pocketknife, a whistle for emergencies, a bottle opener, and a tiny flashlight. My key rack is utilitarian in nature, a platform for personal expression, as well as an art form!
Now, lest you trivialized my morning’s activity, let me remind you of the honor held by the Keeper of the Keys in times past. The “chatelaine” was a respected position. Originally, the lady of the castle’s duty, this responsible position was later assigned to the most trusted and faithful servant. It was probably a practical move, since the large iron keys were worn on a chain around the waist, and weighed several pounds.
The mystique of locks and keys has permeated our literature, art, music, even our everyday language, for centuries. KEY words and KEYnote speakers UNLOCK our ideas. Valentines’ Day celebrates the KEY to our hearts, and our spirits soar when we find the KEYS to the Kingdom. And, since I believe that the KEYS to a healthy and happy new year include hope and humor, I was going to sing a hearty round of “Auld Lang Syne”—unfortunately, I couldn’t find the right KEY.