What’s Lost Is Found

Posted on July 2, 2025

Organized is the last word I would use to describe myself. I’m terrible at keeping track of the things I own. I was reminded of this when I received a call from the bank informing me that someone had turned in my debit card. “Returned my debit card?” I thought, “I wasn’t even aware it was missing!”

Something derailed my focus enough to cause me to lose my debit card, likely at a store checkout line. That awkward moment when I’m juggling my wallet, keys, receipts, and purchases. I was likely spotting an extensive line of impatient individuals behind me. They were enough to convince me I needed to move quickly. If I didn’t get out of there fast, I would have received “The Most Inconvenient Person in the World Award.” Abandoning my most precious possessions under pressure.

The debit card is just the tip of the iceberg. The objects I interact with are always scattered around, resembling the aftermath of a tornado—an abandoned sweatshirt, water bottle, and phone litter my workout space at the gym. My desk at the office is a tall Jenga tower of coffee-stained documents, notepads, and sticky notes. At home, I rummage for my water bottle, keys, and phone, swearing they were just in my hands!

If only I could be more diligent about putting things back where they belong as soon as I use them. I can always find items easily if they are in their proper spot. If I leave an object in an obscure place (like my pocket), it’s as good as gone. Even if I leave something I use weekly or daily on the closest surface, accidents can happen, and it may fall to the floor, remaining missing for weeks.

Since I am no stranger to losing everything I touch, I have learned to cultivate an attitude of acceptance. If I use it sparingly, it’s likely unimportant. How do I know? Because if something hasn’t been important to me for a year or more, I accept that it’s no longer necessary in my life. Sometimes, things even come back on their own, like the debit card. An engraved carabiner I purchased from Etsy went missing while walking around the garden center this past spring. Weeks later, I opened an umbrella in my car and out fell the carabiner.

I wasn’t always so detached from the stress of losing possessions. Panic was once my primary reaction. My neurotypical brother was in my presence when I lost my wallet (and subsequently my mind) while shopping for Christmas gifts. That day, I learned from him not to panic. Panic accomplishes nothing. The imagined terror will not encourage the inanimate object to come home and get in the way of logical searching.

Preventive measures help me keep tabs on some of my more valuable items. My AirPods and iPhone have built-in tracking information. I recovered both items when lost by looking up their GPS locations on my computer or iPad. Many times, I have walked inconspicuously around my neighborhood or through strip malls with my iPad, trying to locate my phone. Losing my keys is too risky, so I equipped them with a Bluetooth tracker. These are invaluable and help me instantly locate my keys, either using GPS or emitting a sound.

I can keep better track of things I own if I make putting them away part of a structured routine. When I cave under pressure and fail, losing something is still okay. In the best-case scenario, what’s lost is found. Things are either swiftly located or come back on their own. In the worst-case scenario, I get to shop for something new. That is, if I still have my debit card in its rightful spot, heehee.