list twelve : lost & found.

 {lightsoutfilms flickr}

Some things I've lost along the way...
- my grandparents
- my dad
- my nice hamster Bruce (yes, like Springsteen. He had  a big...um...pair. Everyone laughed at him. I was 9 and was completely clueless.)
- my mean hamster (who replaced Bruce and who bit my grandma & ran away. Don't even remember it's name, only remember he was a mean little cuss.)
- innocence (it's inevitable, but sad to lose don't you think?)
- integrity (I have some not-so-proud moments...)
- focus (or a lack of priorities. No..a lack of focus. Whatevs.)
- friendships (and I use the term loosely in this context.)
- favorite teddy named Pinky (mice in the garage turned him into a nest. Eww..)
- 2 of a set of 3 vintage enamelware bowls. (Who loses bowls?! I can't bring myself to get rid of the lonely yellow and black one.)
- Lost my cell phone once at the Dublin Irish Festival. It pretty much ruined the day, until I went to the lost and found when we were on our way out and lo and behold, someone had turned it in. They even sent a couple text messages to friends/family in my phone, to tell them to tell me that they were turning it in. That still amazes me. Whomever did that for me, thank you.


And a few things I've found:
- an honest-to-goodness best friend
- true love
- a belief system
- money (Nothing beats finding a $20 in a Christmas card, people.)
- self-worth (This one gets lost in the shuffle, but it's there.)
- once-in-a-lifetime experiences (Oh the stories!)
- the truth in people (Sometimes it's ugly, but mostly it's glorious.)
- forgiveness (Though it still doesn't come easy for me.)
- determination (It's what helps me find my focus.)
- what I want to do with my life (and I'm doing it.)
- peace of mind ('tis what it is.)

So there's my list. It was harder to come up with physical things that I've lost in my life because, well, I don't tend to lose things; I merely misplace them temporarily. Finding things is entirely different. I love finding things, whether they're my things to begin with or not. Lost animals, one-of-a-kinds, or other people's stuff...it's fascinating to think of all things lost and found in the world. If you're like me and like the stories behind found objects (real or make-believe), check out Found Magazine and the Museum of Found Things. I could look at this stuff for hours.

How about you? What sorts of things have you lost or found over the years? Anything like a footless parrot?