Member-only story
You Wanted a Bicycle? Now Pedal It!
I’ve never been a joiner. Sure, I’ve been a part of various groups throughout my life but it only works for me if I can be a part of it on my terms. Allow me to explain.
In third grade I started something I called the “Key Club” for the girls in my class. This came about when a friend of my mother’s left a box of keys at our house. When she asked him about it the following day he said they were leftover from over the years and that she could throw them away. He didn’t even know where most of them fit, though it was obvious if they were for a house, a car, or something else. The keys were of all shapes and sizes and my imagination took off as I thought about the story each one had to tell. I pleaded with Mom to be given possession of the tattered cardboard box they came in and she turned them over to me without question.
My idea was a solid one, or at least that’s what I believed when I started out. The plan was to choose a specific key from the box and hand it to the girl I was inviting to join. On a warm spring morning I set out to invite my charter members. First up was Jennifer and she said yes before she had her key in her hand. Three more girls — Nancy, Jacqueline, and Patty — were happy to come aboard. By Saturday I only had a few girls left to ask, so I went to the library where many of the kids I knew spent time on Saturday morning before going to…
