The Ring

                My key ring is a very busy place these days. New keys joining the circle, long-time members leaving and one notable fixture taking a leave of absence.

          When whole, my key ring includes keys to two homes we own but do not live in, a home we live in but do not own, two homes we neither own nor live in, a car I do not currently drive (this key is an MIA member) and two keys I can’t immediately identify.

          The car I am currently driving? No room on The Ring for its key.

          Here’s how it works:

          We own two homes in Ohio, a house and a condo. We are renting the house out and will move to the condo soon.

          We live in California, renting a house here. We’ve always rented.

          The homes we neither own nor live in belong to my mother and my in-laws. These keys joined The Ring in case of emergencies.

          The long-time member key which is absent belongs to the Mustang, now resting in Ohio from last week’s trip. A friend has the Mustang’s key. I am going through Mustang withdrawls.

          The key to Amy’s Volkswagen is just too big to join The Ring. When I drive the VW, I grab The Ring and a VW key. Then I moan and groan about the vacationing Mustang.

          The keys I can’t identify? They stay. The surest way to suddenly discover something’s worth is to dump it.

          I would never dump a reader. Thanks for reading.