Lost and Found

Photo by Miikka Luotio on Unsplash

We are never really lost. We are always somewhere. It's just that somewhere is new and unfamiliar to us. Someone knows this lost place, and it is not lost to them.

Years ago, I lost my 1.25-carat marquise-shaped diamond. It fell out of my engagement ring. I was frantic, devastated, grieving. I ripped off sheets and blankets, emptied purses and pockets, upturned sofa cushions, vacuumed corners and crevices as if my life depended on it. I sifted through bags of vacuumed lint and dust for weeks. Nothing turned up except lint and dust and a few rogue Lego pieces, Barbie shoes and dried noodles.

I had to let it go, let go of the object, yes.  I also had to let go of the symbol of unbreakable commitment my husband and I vowed to one another, even though he - not the symbol - is still by my side today.  I had to let go of a perceived safety net. I realized how over the years my diamond had become an insurance policy, a bank account, an emergency fund. All now gone, lost. 

I suddenly felt connected to generations of displaced people who carried their security in the form of small portable valuables hidden in clothing. That’s how common humanity works – we are not lost and alone, others have had similar experiences.

Then I had another thought – the diamond was not really lost, it was somewhere. It was a treasure waiting to be found by someone and hopefully when found, that someone would be grateful for the unexpected gift.

It were these reflections that brought me closer to peace. I contemplated all the other losses I had experienced – jobs, opportunities, friends, family members and those yet to be experienced. the lost diamond became a deep teaching for me.

Decades later I still occasionally walk through life looking for that unexpected treasure lost by another, waiting for me to find: the coin in the parking lot, the smashed glistening silver ring in the roadway, the Maui Jim sunglasses floating to the shore on the next wave.

What if parts of ourselves - like our direction, meaning and purpose feel lost, just waiting to be found?  Perhaps feeling lost is sometimes just the experience of not yet knowing where we are now in this moment because we are lost in the world of worry and limitations? 

In-joy the treasure hunt.