The other day, I lost my car key.

I was leaving for work and waiting for my car to open as usual by having my key in my bag, but it did not because it was not there.

I remembered that I last used it in the evening before to get my lunch leftovers from work to offer the stray cat that visits us every day (I’m that nice, in case you didn’t know). I went back in and checked the house and the corssbody bag I was wearing in the evening- to put my phone in while walking and listening to an audiobook on my Bluetooth headset- with no luck. I looked everywhere, including the trash, where I put away the empty lunch bag. I was late to work by then, so my mother-in-law, who lives downstairs, graciously offered me her car for the day.

Later that day, after we got back home, my husband checked the security cameras for any clues about the key’s whereabouts. They proved I got in the house carrying it in my hand, which was a proud moment for security cameras’ footage being put to good use and all.

I kept searching unlikely places at the house where I might have placed the key. I even checked the trash bin again, moved some trash around, which was apparently what I need to do in the morning, because I found my key right in there!

After showing it to my husband, I started sterilizing it, feeling relieved, but also alarmed. For me, this was definitely a mindless moment. I couldn’t believe I actually threw away the empty lunch bag with the key simply because I was not present. At that moment, I had many things going; I just managed to get the kids inside to get ready for their baths before bed, I was also checking my social media because that was my daily evening window according to my recent digital rules. Adding to that was recently changing my routines by staying up late to spend time with family visiting from abroad, therefore not doing my morning routine aside from meditation.

It was a red flag and I take those seriously to avoid future ones with more damages.

I am also grateful for this mini wake-up lesson I received.

I am aware that summer season is usually the slowest for me in terms of commitment to routines and progress in goals. Perhaps, it started sooner than I expected. I am prepared for a very laid back July as I did for the past couple of years after learning it the hard way a few years ago. However, I can still practice being present in my life every day and I can commit to the shortest version possible of my morning ritual for the coming few weeks. I will also update my summer’s slow mode to start mid-June next year.

More importantly, I want to live mindfully, no matter the season.