I have locked myself out of my car/house more times then I can remember. One option is to keep a spare in your wallet…which I try to do…but often lock my wallet in the car. The other is to Duct Tape a spare to the back of your license plate….then all you need is a coin to unscrew it.

As far as having a husband to call in emergency….it may have ended up in a fight if you dragged him out of bed then told him you found your keys while he was driving to rescue you….

There have been many times in my life where the lack of good friends…someone to call…just made a bad situation worse. I realized that I have a VERY hard time asking people for help….or thinking that they would want to help me. I also realize that I have a hard time getting close to people….trusting them…so the idea that you would live someplace for two years and not feel connected to anyone is easy to understand.

One thing I would say about the husband search….is that you are more likely to find the one you want if you feel like your social/relational world is already somewhat fulfilling. Nothing feels like true love of course. But a BIG part of why I jumped into a bad marriage a few years ago was just because I was so lonely. And I really wasn’t that interested in investing/committing to other types of relationships….friendships.

The other thing I think we do wrong as a society is spend our single/social time just having fun….which is ultimately unfulfilling. So maybe finding some “meaningful” thing that does require a little self sacrifice….going beyond our emotional comfort zone….would take a bit of the “empty” away. But I have to say…I’m impressed with your ALL OUT assault on the problem. I think one of the biggest things I have learned through all of my failed attempts is that it is more about “being the right person…than finding the right person.” It is hard to wake up to the reality that I’ve been my own worst enemy when it comes to relationships. Well….I’m sure that was unexpected coming from me…I guess it was triggered by the question about whether anyone else had ever been stranded. I’ve felt stranded most of my life…..and for me….it became a way of life….a mindset that I just couldn’t shake.

Steve, you kinda sound like a typical man, not wanting to ask for directions and certainly not wanting to ask for help (LOL), just kidding. But I've had similar experiences of wanting to rely on someone, to have someone to call in an emergency... I had my car battery die when I stopped at a gas station on the way to the airport and no one could help me. My only choice was to call my brother at 5am but I decided against that. I called AAA and was told it would be 45 mins before someone could help and I'd miss my flight. Luckily a very nice guy pumping gas said if I had jumper cables he'd give me a hand and sure enough I made my flight. So there's always a guy around who will help with a dead battery or a flat, but with keys, that is a tough one. You really have no choice but to either find a way home to get the spare or stay overnight until you can get to the dealership for them to give you one.

What I do is wear a spare key around my neck (I have another spare at home). I know it seems extreme but I am a single woman who loses things and unless my head pops off, I won't lose my key. The last thing I want to do is drag someone out of bed in the middle of the night to help me. And yes, not having a man in your life makes you more resourceful and these little lessons reinforce that resourcefulness. It will come in handy since you won't be like some ditzy broad who is always losing keys and doesn't have a second thought about getting her man out of bed in the middle of the night when her keys are in her bag the whole time.

And that's what I feel is mostly out there. A bunch of stranded, self-centered, isolated, anti-social men who don't want to "share" themselves (emotionally, mentally, spiritually) with a woman and who would rather make the women who love them suffer and long for them to behave like a decent, caring human being. It is a shame so many men are damaged in this way and their end result are single, lonely women. Everyone alway say you got to be satisfied with yourself first and love your life as is first and yadda, yadda, yadda-same old same old. But what do you do when you do that and you already are satisfied? We were put here to enjoy, help, interact and love one another. How are we to fulfill that goal being satisfied with just fulfilling yourself? Seems pretty selfish to me. I want someone to love, share experiences with good and bad. I want to disagree and make up, fight and love. I want it all not just one side (my side).

I think I would have called a friend to pick me up. But reading your story made me realize even if I had a friend to pick me up, I don't have any spare house keys hiding anywhere. So I would have had to break into my house to get the spare car keys. I guess I am not much help.

When I was sick over the holidays last year, it was one of the few times that I was sad over my lack of a husband. But in your case, you are not poor - call a cab to get home and break in your own house. Money is not a replacement for a man or good friends, but it can solve a lot of your problems in their absence.

Neennah,
If you ever have that happen again remember this: Cops can help you get a dealer that is local to make a key for you. You must be able to prove who you are and that you own or at least are the renter of the car. To prove this is easy for the true owner. The license number or registration will be tracked to you and can be compared to your ID. A VIN number or the little tag (It looks like a dogtag.)they give you when you buy your car (which you need to keep with you but not on your key ring.)will help the dealer make the right key for you unless you have changed it. If you have had it changed you should have the tag from that key. I had this happen to me. ( I accidentally locked my pickup with the keys in it 12 miles out in the country.) I didn't want to break a widow or anything so I had a GM dealer make me a new key and deliver it to me in a farmer's field where we were hunting. (for a small fee, of course) Another benefit of using the cops to get it done is they can have someone meet you at home to help get into your house without you being suspected of trying to burglerize it in the middle of the night. Who knows one of the cops, the dealer rep., or the locksmith might be single and cute! You never know....

I used to feel stranded in those situations, or when i need something fixed on the car or it would be nice if my husband ( if I had one) would take the car to get an oil change or talk to the repair man. For me what has help me resolve some of these issues is I have built a network of friends that become invalueable to me.So when I am stranded i have someone to call or just lonely there's someone to hang out with.
Yes I am a part of the single club not by choice sometimes and sometimes by choice. It funny your goals this year is 52 weeks to fine a man and mine is the opposite I commitment to 52 weeks without a man ( in a romantic relationship or sexually ) To spend this year to reach personal goals, impove myself and develop my relationship with God. To becoming the proverbs 31 10-31 woman. So if God's does bring a husband into my life then I will be the woman, wife, mother , lover , and friend that i should be. Good luck on you search and have fun.

Hi Neennah, glad you're safe and sound. First of all, what guy in his right mind would be miffed if you called back and said "Never mind honey, I found them". His main concern would be for your safety, then you'd have a dozen or so extra keys made and hid all over the place. LOL. Being stranded does suck. No keys, out of gas, dead battery to name a few. Smitty gave some good advice.