Locked Out: Stranded without Essentials

It’s one thing to get locked out of your house or your car when you have your purse, your phone, or other helpful tools at your fingertips.  But what do you do when circumstances leave you without anything at your disposal?

So my husband is a pastor of our local church, and he’s been given permission by the session to let me use his office when he’s not using it.  It helps me to be able to focus if I’m not at home.  I have four kids still at home, and each of them is amazing!  They constantly stop by our home office and ask me if there’s anything they can do to help me – and I cherish those interactions, but each can be disruptive, especially if I have a deadline.

So Tuesday afternoon this week, I headed to the office.  I intended to work there until I was either mentally done or physically too tired to keep working.  The net result was that my husband could easily have been in bed before I got home.  

So after a couple of hours of being there, my oldest daughter swung by, bringing me a notebook that I forgot, and I decided to go ahead and heat up the dinner I had brought.  Since the heater was on in my husband’s office, I shut the door behind me – to keep the heat in the room.  Everything was great.  I microwaved my food, made a cup of coffee, and returned to the office.

My Dilemma

Somehow the door to the office got locked.  I didn’t lock it.  And while that was a problem, it created several other problems.  

1. My cell phone was … locked in the office.
2. My computer was … locked in the office.
3. My keys were – yep, you guessed it – locked in the office.
4. My backup keys were in a different vehicle at home, and even if that car had been with me, it would have been locked.

How do you handle this or any other preparedness problem that you face?  I’m going to give you four steps.  Not because these steps are amazingly novel, but because if you have read them and thought through them, your brain will be more ready to use them if you ever find yourself in a less-than-desirable situation.

Steps to take to deal with any dilemma:

Identify the problem

I was locked out of the office with no way to get home or contact anyone to unlock the office for me.

Okay done!

Look at your assets – and consider everything!

I started by looking at what I did have.  

• So, while my phone was in the office, I was wearing an earbud.  My phone has Google Voice turned on.  I hoped that saying “Hey Google” into the earpiece’s microphone would allow me to call my husband.

I even tried saying “Okay, Google” loudly through the door, but with the heater on, it didn’t register my voice.

Yeah, unfortunately, it didn’t work.  I felt like I earned kudos for creativity, though.  

•  Church phone?  Nope.  No landline.

An extra key to the Pastor’s office anywhere in the building?  Nope.  Though there will be a spare key placed in the church building NOW.  

• What about removing the pins in the hinges?  Nope.  The hinges were on the inside.

At that point, I felt like I had exhausted my assets.

Look for alternative solutions. 

• I could walk to my mom’s house.  It was about 2 miles away.  While doable, it was decently chilly, and my coat was … locked in the office.
• So I resolved to rely on the goodwill of a stranger.  But not just ANY stranger.  I wanted to be careful with who I trusted.

I looked for a house that …

(1) Was lit on the inside.  If it wasn’t, people might not be home.

(2) Was well-lit on the outside.  I didn’t want to walk into a bad situation and be unable to see what was happening.

(3) Had two or more vehicles.  And honestly the more vehicles, the better.   I figured if two people were home, the chances of happening upon a man who might not have had honest intentions was less of an issue.  And if there were more than two vehicles, maybe it was a family with a driving age child.  The presence of children can moderate a parent’s response.

I was fortunate in that there was a house across the main road that met all of those criteria.

Adapt as necessary.

So I went to the house that met those criteria.  A woman answered the door and was kind enough to let me use her cell phone.

New Problem – My cell phone area code, as well as my husband’s, my mother’s, my father-in-law’s, and our home VoIP phone number, do not match the area code that we live in, and the number I was calling from was a central Illinois area code.  

I called my husband who ignored the call because it wasn’t from a number list,ed in his contacts and wasn’t from our phone’s area code.  I called our home phone number – again, not a number that anyone recognized so they – again – ignored the call.  The only other phone, so they fairly confident in was my mom’s phone number.  And that I wasn’t 100% sure of what it was.

Fortunately for me, my mother answered the call and called my husband.  He eventually came out and unlocked the office door for me.

What did I learn from my little adventure? 

You can’t always rely on technology.

I had a cell phone.  I couldn’t get to it.  Most of us don’t take the time to memorize phone numbers anymore.  I mean why should I?  I have a mini phone book with numbers for many different people in it.  It, however, didn’t do me any good because it was in my purse which was … locked in the office.

Please take the time to memorize several phone numbers of people you know in case you too get stuck without access to your phone or your purse, etc.

Always have a backup plan.

Without a phone, a car key, a computer, or any other piece of helpful equipment, I couldn’t do much of anything.  While I was lucky to find a kind and understanding homeowner, things could have turned out differently. It’s essential to have a backup plan in case of emergencies, such as being locked out of a room, car, or home. Keeping a spare key for the office in a safe place (somewhere else in the church) or a car key in a magnetic box under the car.  

Stay calm in stressful situations.

When we panic, our judgment can be clouded, making it difficult to find solutions. It’s essential to take a deep breath, assess the situation, and come up with a plan of action. Staying calm in stressful situations can help us think more clearly and make better decisions.

Action Items: 

(1) Stash a car key on your car in a magnetic box.

(2) Memorize at least the phone numbers of each of your immediate family members.

(3) If you won’t be home before your spouse or significant other goes to bed, have an agreement that they will call you (if possible) before they turn in.  You’ll know that they will call if something happens and you are truly stranded.

So take a moment to work through what you would do if you found yourself locked out of your car, house, or office – with NO tools at your disposal. It may just save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Wrapping it up

In conclusion, being prepared for the unexpected can save us from stressful situations. While we can’t predict every scenario, we can take steps to minimize the impact of emergencies. Remembering that we can’t always rely on technology, having a backup plan, and staying calm in stressful situations can make all the difference in the world. 

What About You?

How might you have handled the situation differently?  Do you have other suggestions of things that could have been done or other conclusions that you would have reached?  I’d love to hear!  Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

And as you are trying to plan for the unexpected, remember …

You’ve Got This, Mama!