I suffer from occumboperdophobia, the fear of dropping keys down metal grates.

Every work day, as I walk to or from my office, I pass over a metal grate in the parking lot. I have no problem walking over it, but I fear dropping my keys down there so much that I clench my keys tightly in my hand. I find myself doing the same thing when I walk through the city... even if my keys are in my pocket.

Usually I don't think too much about it and everything is fine, but sometimes I freak myself out by thinking, "What if I actually did drop my keys down one of those grates? How would I get them back out?" If it's a simple storm drain, it's not that big of a deal. As a kid, I used to retrieve balls and frisbees down there all the time. But what if it's one of those 1+ story air condition shafts or, even worse, what if there's water down there? Ugh... I'm getting antsy just thinking about it.

Anyway, it took me a while to find the ideal spot to accomplish this task, but I finally found a huge, deep, locked grate in front of the De Young. This was the place to push my limits. I stood on the grate for a while clutching my keys tightly in my pocket. Then, while still standing on the grate, I took them out and played with them for a while. I really wanted to toss them up in the air, but I couldn't quite go that far. After a few photos, I tucked them safely back in my pocket and walked around the park to take the edge off.