When you know you have something but you can’t find it, it can be a perplexing and confounding experience. As you look under every possible rock (metaphorically speaking, of course), and you still can’t find it, you try to think back to when you last saw it, where you might’ve put it.
I had this experience recently with a tool I was trying to find. I clearly remembered holding it in my hand and putting it away inside of a bin. But when it came time to get it, it wasn’t where I thought I had put it. It was like it got up and walked away on its own like it was playing hide and seek.
I searched everywhere for it, going through bins and drawers and whatnot, and no matter where I looked, it wasn’t there. Then a thought dawned on me: had I thrown it away? Did I accidentally throw it in the garbage bin, thinking at the time that I wouldn’t ever need it? Besides, what other explanation was there? I didn’t let any one borrow it. I didn’t take it anywhere. And it couldn’t have just walked off on its own.
After an exhausting search that led me no closer to finding it, I decided to replace the tool and ended up buying a new one. I wonder if it will turn up one day when I’m not even trying to find it. It might turn up as I’m casually rummaging through boxes and bins as I’m finding something else. It’s happened before, or maybe, just maybe, it was really good at playing hide and seek.
Fallton Havenstonne 