Coincidence

A few weeks ago I lost the combination lock I use when I go to the Y. I didn't so much lose it as forget to take it with me when I left the Y one day. I didn't realize it was gone until a couple of days later when I returned for another workout.

Now, this isn't the first time I've done this and I know there is a strong chance my lock is laying in box of forgotten locks behind the front desk at the Y. I also know from experience that most of the locks in the box will be black Master locks, just like mine. I suppose I could sift through the pile, trying my combination until I find my lock but it just doesn't seem worth the effort. The lock was old - I've had it for twenty-five years or more. Its insides had gotten spongy. I no longer had to be precise when entering the combination, just close. This was actually handy since I rarely have my reading glasses with me at the Y. The main benefit the lock offered was that the combination was burned into my memory. The numbers start circulating around my head even as I'm pulling into the Y parking lot.

Nostalgia almost drove me to retrieve the lock but I fought the urge. I decided that I would make a clean break. I was due for a new lock anyway. I'd certainly gotten my money's worth from the old one. A new one would only cost a few dollars, far cheaper than the time it would take to find the old one. There is a Target next door to the Y. I went lock shopping.

I found shopping for a lock at Target to be a mildly daunting task. The store is so big and locks are so small. I tried to remember if I'd ever seen them there before. This Target was undergoing some major remodeling which only complicated things. I went first to the Sporting Goods and found the gym bags. No locks. Next, I went to the bicycles. I found bike locks. I even found cables that you would use with a combination lock but no locks. Finally, as I was leaving the store, I happened through housewares and chanced upon an entire aisle with nothing but locks. This time I steered clear of the common black Master locks, deciding to go with something that would stand out a bit more. I had my choice of green, red, blue or purple. The purple ones were fifty cents cheaper than the others - a good enough reason for me. I left with my new purple lock.

As I pulled into the Y parking lot, I tried to focus on my new combination. I recited the numbers aloud, trying to drown out the chorus of my old combination singing in my head. After changing into my running clothes, I took the slip of paper with my combination and slipped it into the pocket of my running shorts. Then I slammed the locker door and locked it with my new purple lock. As I did this, I noticed that the locker next to mine also had a purple lock. I guess if the Target next door to the Y has purple locks on sale, it figures that there might be a few purple locks showing up at the Y.

As I ran around the track, I fretted about this new combination. I tried to memorize it but every time I thought about locks, my old combination flooded my brain. Determined, I ran, chanting the numbers in my head with each step. The combination is two single digit numbers followed by a two-digit number. All in all, four digits to remember. To make the chanting work more smoothly, I broke the two-digit number into each of its parts. Now, I could run and repeat the same four numbers over and over.

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that it took me a few laps before I realized that the four digits I was chanting was the address of my home, where I have lived for over twenty years. Hopefully, I won't forget that anytime soon.