Did you ever look at something you use all the time and see it in a whole new light? I felt this way yesterday, therefore inspiring this blog about, wait for it…keys.

A key is a pretty magical little creation isn’t it? Little grooves and cut-outs that fit perfectly into a door, a lock, a treasure chest. I was at work yesterday (back in the office one day a week) and I work in a beautiful venue with many doors and locks and keys. I was looking at the golden key I was using to open the ballroom, feeling the weight of the heavy wooden door as I heard the click of it opening, and then the sound of the rest of my keys jingling in anticipation. It’s a strangely powerful feeling opening a giant door like that with a golden key.

Did you ever find a key in your junk drawer (does anyone else have these drawers?) and have NO idea what it opened. Didn’t it make you wonder? Didn’t you want to go searching for an answer? And I bet if you look, there are keys on your very own key ring that you carry everyday, of which you have no idea to what door they belong.

And did you ever keep a key for nostalgia? Maybe from your first car or your first home. Remember when we had to actually open our car doors with a key? Seems so strange to think of it now. And with ID cards you scan to get into doors, and codes, and all the other fancy schmancy technology out there, keys may someday, not even exist. And that makes me very sad.

Old keys are the best. I’ve always been fascinated with their intricate and ornate designs. They were little pieces of art. Keys today are so boring. One of the books/movies I loved growing up was The Secret Garden. And the movie contains one of my very favorite keys. It’s so gorgeous. I want to hold it, feel how heavy it is, smell the metal, hell, I’d hang that on my wall just so I could look at it everyday.

Image from http://imgfave.com/view/2466891In the movie,

In the movie, this key is found by a little girl named Mary and it leads her to, of course, The Secret Garden. The key is the first step in changing the lives of so many, definitely a movie worth watching if you’ve never seen it.

It got me thinking, what if we each had our own magical, old key that opened the doors to our wildest dreams, our deepest fears, our strongest passions. What would your key look like? I can design mine in my head right now. In fact, it’s the next tattoo idea I have. I want MY key.

Think about your key today and if it was REAL, what would you use it for? I want to take all the bad, scary, negative things in my life and lock them away in a box when I need to, keeping that key out of reach. And I want a key that opens the door to pure joy and happiness. And I want a key that can open a box of memories. A key I can use to relive the amazing times I’ve been blessed with in my life, seeing them again, being there again.

The next time I’m opening a door at work, or locking up my house, or starting my car, I’m going to take a moment to appreciate these little guys. Each key unique, each one with a purpose, each one important – just like all of you. 🙂