Lock Picking In covid
In this current pandemic, it would appear the world will never be the same again, and only time will tell exactly what changes and adaptations we'll need to make and how long for. And yet, as a Locksmith Trainer I have been inundated with thank-you emails from both individuals and families who have found lock picking an ideal form of relief - and something that's bringing their family together.
While millions are out of work and the economy collapses, artists are working through the night to see who can produce the most trippy Covid-19 image.
It's been amazing to hear from my old trainees who are sitting round challenging each other to lock picking competitions. One of my old trainees texted me that his daughter - at only ten years old and who's never showed an interest in this great art before, has used her time wisely. Not only is she now proficient at lock picking' ("She's actually better than me now, which is slightly annoying" - the father said) but it also gave them something to focus on together, something they can learn together - while spending time together.
Other people - previous locksmith trainees - have let me know how much fun they've been having moving through their practice locks "I have always been interested in lock picking, every time I saw it on a film I thought 'Does that really work?'" said one man, who has now picked every lock he could get his hands on; and is now predictably hungry for more, after finishing the locksmith course with me. We all know that one.
I emailed an old locksmith trainee to wish him well on his journey and he replied "My kids are looking forward to me showing them how to pick locks. I think lock picking is kind of like solving a puzzle and we are looking forward to tickling our brains in a different way" which couldn't be more accurate. Lock picking is a puzzle, with each lock providing new challenges, different problems, and different solutions.
So while I - like everyone else - is looking forward to this awful situation passing, it's good to know ive had a part, however small, in bringing a bit of the magic I felt when i first got into lock picking, during these trying times, because when families play together they stay together, and I never thought lock picking would be so wonderfully wholesome, something our culture is often sadly lacking.