My daughter asked why I always put the car keys on the hook by the door but search for them in my purse every morning

I hung that little brass hook with such optimism. This would be the system that worked. Keys would live there, always findable, always ready.

But between the door and the hook lies a journey of distractions: mail to sort, shoes to kick off, a phone that buzzes, a cat that needs attention.

Punchline

The hook represents the parent I want to be. The bottom of my purse represents the parent I am.