Quick story: I’m constantly on the search for things that will make my life better. The very premise that such a “thing” exists is patently ridiculous, but that doesn’t stop me from searching and buying – combing the aisles of CVS and the trending projects on Kickstarter for the thing that will unlock my life’s nearby perfection.

One of these lifesavers, I decided, was a small wallet. It was clear that I was filled with crippling anxiety due to the size of my wallet – it was so bulky and ridiculous, it just invited clutter and mayhem. Something small would force me to maintain order – both in my wallet and in my life. So, when I lost this new small wallet, I was despondent but undeterred from the mission and purchased another, even smaller replacement. A few weeks later, I lost that wallet too.

I visited the DMV – twice. I reported all of my cards lost – twice. I bemoaned my bad luck, purchased a monstrosity of a wallet, and continued my search for other life-improving items.

About few months later, I was doing some general cleaning and decided my shoulder bag could probably use a wash. It’s this large cross-body canvas thing, with lots of pockets to compartmentalize your life.

I emptied out the loose change/candy pocket. I cleared out the pens and random receipts pocket. I dug out dog treats and loose tic tacs from the center. Empty, I held it up and was surprised by how heavy it felt. I rummaged through the pockets again, thinking I might find an errant screwdriver, but it was empty.

Confused but determined, I re-examined and finally squeezed the bag. It was lumpy. Lumpy like two wallets lumpy. Lumpy like, ‘oh hey, did you know there’s a secret pocket in this bag? It’s a Narnia pocket that ate both of your wallets!’ This secret pocket was directly in front of the main opening, held closed by a hidden, single snap so the sides remained open and accessible to a hand, casually stowing a wallet.

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I now had three licenses, a bunch of cancelled credit cards and $27 of rediscovered cash.

Not one to let a life lesson go unlearned, I put that $27 to good use. The next day I bought something that was definitely going to make my life better – a smaller bag.