How the universe roles

I’ve had a challenging and slightly emotional few days. Before you read any further, know that I didn’t get any perspective on the following events until much later than I should have. I realise that now.

Last Tuesday I lost my car keys. In my house.

There are six of us in this house, and we have a lot of stuff but we try hard to keep on top of it. On this particular day I was not doing such a great job. The kitchen table was buried under craft paper, wool, scissors and assorted clothing as I tried to pack for an overnight pre Christmas stay with family.

Come night time I decided to lock up the house, and could not find them anywhere.

Reader, I searched the whole house.

Until two o’clock in the morning.

I got up at six and continued the search....still no keys.

I started to look in strange, unlikely places. The teapot, the hay bales, the waterfall.

Still. No. Keys.

I watched as our departure time came and went, I may have even blubbed a little bit in frustration.

I continued to turn the house upside down, I went systematically from room to room, emptying out every box, drawer, cupboard. Beating myself up emotionally as I went.

Still. No. Keys.

But, on a positive note I cleaned as I went and the whole house started to sparkle like a new pin.

Mr Wah came home, bringing with him a fresh optimism and an almost zen like peace. His mantra “They exist, therefore they will be found.”

Twenty four hours later.....

Still. No. Keys.

So, we are two days onward now, and we don’t have any keys. Christmas is now two sleeps, and I have no food, I haven’t wrapped a single child present and everything is slipping away from me. This is the time I was beating myself up for being an epic failure, possibly blubbing a little more and apologising every five minutes for being an arse. Mr Wah was remarkabley calm, telling me over and over “It’s only keys.”

It wasn’t just keys though. I had planned nearly every minute of each day until the day after boxing day. I was nearing melt down.

Then I had a chat with a local, who had just got back from a packed supermarket, where the elderly gentleman shopping beside him in the soup aisle fell to the floor, and had a massive stroke. He was upset, naturally and left me with the comment “Imagine his family’s Christmas”.

Keys don’t matter.

Once I realised this, and accepted that the keys are tiny, minor insignificant inconvienience, things got better.

The universe works in mysterious ways. I got the food shop done by borrowing Mr Wah’s car. We didn’t get to see the extended family we had planned to see (although they may now come and see us) and we didn’t get to go to the cinema on Christmas Eve like I’d planned but it was all fine.

It was better than fine. It was completely and utterly lovely.

For the first time since I can remember, since probably childhood, there was no expectations, no schedule. We had food, we had warmth and we had each other. It took me a while to realise that I didn’t actually need anything else.

We have played, and played and played.

Board games, Wii games, Lego, books, cars, playmobil, science kits, craft kits, printing kits.

We did a treasure hunt on Christmas Eve, laid out by Mr Wah – complete with hand written and original clues. Something we wouldn’t have had time to do if my schedule had gone to plan.

The only fly in the ointment is that a new key costs £200, which is something that at this time of the year, and with two child birthdays only days away, I could really do without.

Still, as I only said a few paragraphs ago, the universe works in mysterious and wonderful ways.

The post arrived today, and in it was a letter from the Inland Revenue, saying that I had overpaid tax in the year 2007, and a cheque for just over £200 was winging its way to me.

The keys still haven’t turned up, and I’ll have to wait seven days for the new one to arrive but it’s OK. I’m looking for the positive here. It’s more days to play, more days to relax and enjoy being with each other.

Maybe the universe knew what I needed this Christmas more than I did.