Lubrication works, just ask my locksmith

Lubrication can open many doors in life.

I am NOT a handyman. I cannot build or repair anything. When God was handing out talents I got in the wrong line. My talent was patience, something that would come into play when I discovered I had to pay people to fix things I couldn't.

When you're growing up it's not always apparent what your talents in life will be. For some people it's clear but for others, like me, it was muddy.

It was clear for my best friend. He could sell anything from a very young age. But I didn't think that was a talent when I was nine. Now he's living in a mansion, beautiful home, wife and family and I see what a God given talent he received. He was also gifted with a relentless work ethic and a desire to succeed and the results speak for themselves.

But when we were young 'talent' was just a word.

Which brings me to the other day when I discovered my house key would not fit in the front door lock. It would go three quarters of the way in and then jam. I tried the spare key. Same result. I tried my wife's key. Same result. Kids' keys. No go. I looked at the lock and thought, "Is this even my house?" The dog looking up at me with the sad hound eyes told me it was indeed my humble abode.

I have no experience fixing locks. I know how to open a lock and close a lock. Period. When one refuses to open I have no choice, I have to call a locksmith. And so I did.

The guy who showed up at my front door was personable and nice. I showed him the lock, he looked it over, poked at it with his lock picking device and then he reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a small bottle of WD40.

Squirt, squirt. He put my house key into the lock and it went all the way in. He turned it to the right, then the left. Problem solved.

"I hope you're not too upset," he said. "Some people can't believe they have to pay for a house call for something so simple. It's just the tumblers. They needed lubrication."

I wasn't upset. As I said before my talent in life is patience because God knew I'd need it to live so long and be this stupid!

I paid the guy $90 for the life lesson. Lubricate your locks twice a year and they'll never give you a problem.

My wife came home a few hours later. She was very happy the lock worked. When I told her my WD40 story she shook her head in disbelief.

"I thought I'd asked you if you tried that?"

If she had asked me that question I may not have understood its purpose. But I admit, I don't recall such a conversation. Lubrication was never something I associated with locks!

Trust me though, lubrication works. Just ask my locksmith...