It was time to tidy up my desk again. Sometimes, it's just necessary. If only to give my eyes a break from staring at my computer screen. And as I was tidying up, I stumbled upon a surprise, one whose existence I knew of but hadn't thought about in a long time. I pulled open a drawer and discovered that it was full of keychains!

Lots of keys, lots of keychains

As a rental agent, I often come into possession of a set of keys. For viewings, but also for the various management activities I undertake to assist landlords. And almost every time, with such a set of keys, I received a keychain. The keys to the different properties are stored in a safe until I need them. It's safer that way. And all those different keychains ended up in that one drawer, which I opened again after a long time to tidy up.

Now, you might not find this miraculous. And the fact that I own so many keychains is a simple consequence of the work I do. Yet, this discovery struck me as finding a great treasure. Because to me, these aren't just keychains. Each one reminded me of that particular client.

So many people, so many differences

There was a keychain in the shape of a rubber ducky that belonged to a young family moving abroad for a few years due to her job at an embassy. There was the classic bottle opener from the man who was finally going to take the step to live together but wasn't quite ready to give up his bachelor pad entirely. And then there was the delightfully quaint yellow-red keychain in the shape of the country where that sweet retired couple wanted to emigrate to. And for whom I gladly handled the entire rental and management process.

Meaningful memories

And it wasn't just the memories that this mountain of keychains brought to mind. I was particularly struck by the multitude and even more by the many different keychains I could discover. By opening that drawer, I saw at a glance how often and how many different people I've had the privilege to assist over the past 15 years.

From all those lovely, quirky, and creative personal keychains from people for whom I've searched for the right tenants for their beautiful homes for various reasons, to the business-like, standard coloured tags with the name written behind plastic (or sometimes even typed!) of people who initially were primarily looking for a good investment. But through my personal and communicative way of working, I got to know the person behind the suit.

I am reminded of my 'why'

My desk is now tidy again, and it's time to turn my gaze back to the screen. Part of my work is administrative, after all. I left the drawer with keychains as it was. It's a reminder to me of the human side of my work. The most enjoyable part of my work. And there's still plenty of room for many more keychains. Maybe even yours!