lost but now found

Let me enumerate:

1) Palm Pilot

2) Cell Phone

3) HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian (paperback)

Category:

Things I've lost in the past week or two that I finally found tonight.

To be honest, I never thought I left any of these things out there in the world. I assumed that they were dropped somewhere in my car, my bedroom, or some other spot in the house. A few days ago, I began to get serious about this. The book is easily replaceable, but I like to think that I am reliable enough to keep up with my PP and phone.

The PP is essential. I have it's data on my computer as well, so the info wasn't being lost, yet the feeling of being disconnected was real, as I scribbled on a printed out hard copy of my calendar recent changes and additions, hoping to remember to actually enter them all in. It's much easier to write it in on the unit and then download new entries and changes.

Getting more serious about looking for the pesky items gone AWOL, I did some more desperate searching -- definitely not in the car -- and then thought about coat pockets. I found the Palm Pilot in a suit coat I wore to a funeral weekend before last. And then, I checked the pocket of my top coat which I have not worn since the funeral and I found the phone.

The book, a bit of gravy in all this recovery of things, was turned face down on a stack of books in a bookshelf. Two minutes after partner told me that he had seen it recently, I found it.

If this was not a pattern that has plagued me for all my life, if it was not a pattern that plagued family members, if I had not long ago dealt with coping strategies, counter coping strategies, and counter-counter coping strategies, I might be tempted to think that this is a quick decline in mental abilities. Alas, that worry is wasted.

But a string of losses represents something else, like getting too busy and stressed. It's a sign to pay attention.

At one point, partner bought me electronic beepers that I can attach to items. It was a loving act to help me out. When you push a button on a box, the beeper starts up, alerting the looker to the actual item. I tried that for a while, and then it became cumbersome to have the beepers connected to things. And frankly, over the years, I've gotten better about consistency in putting things in places where I don't have to remember. Same spot equals a certain assurance of not losing something. That same spot becomes a gathering or jumping off place for the next day.

This morning I found my knit cap and gloves in my office. I'd say I am all caught up.