Lost and Found - Phew!
It was the end of 16-hour work day for my husband. (Granted, the last four of it was at a Sea Dogs baseball game, but it was still work related.)
He was emptying his pockets and discovered he didn’t have his driver’s license, credit card, and other credit card size items he keeps together with a rubber band in his back pocket.
Panic did not immediately set in because he thought he may have placed this bundle of confidential information on his desk at work when he was changing out of his work clothes into blue jeans.
But this morning he called me with the bad news. It wasn’t on his desk. He actually couldn’t recall the last time he’d see this stuff. Had they gone through the laundry? I thought I would have seen remnants of some of the papers, if it had. Had he left it in a pocket?
I don’t know about you, but my first thoughts were of the hassle involved in calling the credit card company, him getting a new driver’s license, and replacing the other miscellaneous cards of information he carried. Did he even know what was in that bundle??
So I took a break from my web site work and went on a treasure hunt. I searched the shorts on the bed, the pants in his dresser drawer. I checked the slacks hanging in the closet. No luck.
I searched the top of his dresser (which he had already checked), around his computer desk, and in my office where he sometimes misplaces things. No luck.
I searched his dresser drawers and shoes because he’s occasionally tucked this bundle into these places without thinking about it. No luck.
I asked my son when he crawled out of bed if he’d seen it. Nope. But he offered some suggestions as well.
Finally after two phone calls to my husband, talking with my son, and the firm belief that we did not want to deal with cancelling the credit card, etc. I went to look through Gerry’s pants again.
Success! I found the cards. You see, the first time I searched, I was just feeling where the pockets would be. Scrunching the fabric in my fists to see if there was something in them. But the weight of these cards and the magic of gravity, left the pocket drooping near the wasteline (where I didn’t check).
When I called Gerry to report that I’d found the missing packet, he was extremly grateful that I took more time to search for him. When I told him which pants I found it in, he said, “Hmmm… it has been a couple of days since they’ve been gone.”
Why am I sharing this story with you? For a few reasons…
First, when something is important to someone you know, it becomes important to you. If you can help resolve a problem, do it. If you can make an extra effort to ease your some of their worry, do it. Of course there are times when it would have been inconvenient for me to perform the search that I did today. And sometimes we have to respect ourselves enough to not drop everything for someone else. But at the same time, too often I hear of people who will never drop something to help someone else.
Second, I think this story can serve as a gentle reminder that sometimes when you are sure you did something (Gerry was sure that he’d put this packet on his desk. I was sure I had searched his pants.), you may be mistaken. This can go a long way toward adapting an apologetic mindframe when conflicts arise.
And finally, today is the day when you should make a copy of all the information you carry in your wallet or bundle. Make copies of the front and back of each item (enlarge them if possible so that you can actually read the information!). File this information in a safe, fireproof place. This way if you do lose your credit card and other personal information, you can call the providers immediately and minimize any financial loss.
