Lost my car keys in the grocery store parking lot for 20 minutes this morning

I was loading groceries into my trunk at the Kroger off Main Street and somehow dropped my keys between the carts. Took me 15 minutes of retracing my steps and asking the lot attendant if anyone turned them in. Finally found them wedged under the front bumper of a minivan two rows over. Has anyone else had that heart drop moment where you pat your pocket and feel nothing?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabethf851mo ago

Ugh, that pit in your stomach feeling is the worst. Glad you found them

patkelly1mo ago

I actually just read this article about how that specific anxiety feeling is linked to our evolutionary survival instinct. Your brain is basically screaming "something is wrong" even when you logically know the situation is under control. It's wild how even a missing pet can trigger that same primal response, you know? I remember reading that our bodies release cortisol and adrenaline in those moments, which creates that exact sinking sensation. Finding them probably felt like a huge weight lifting off your chest.