When Things Go Missing

Did you ever notice that items which are temporarily lost always turn up in the last place that you look?  Is it possible that nothing is ever actually lost, and that people just get tired of looking for their misplaced items?  If people would just put things back into their proper place to begin with, then they would never have to worry about not being able to find what they are looking for?  Once an item is placed in its proper position, then you won’t have to speculate on where it would be.  People that are struggling with dementia, or Alzheimer’s Disease, or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) probably lose more stuff than others, but some people have a unique ability to lose anything that isn’t nailed down or physically attached to them.

Almost everyone has lost or misplaced something in their life.  It is estimated that an average person loses 3,000 items in their lifetime and spend about one year of their life searching for them.  Statistics also show that about two-thirds of Americans spend about $50 annually replacing lost items.  One survey reported that the average person misplaces nine things a day and spends an average of 15 minutes every day looking for a lost item.  Some people have a propensity for misplacing stuff, and they forget their keys, can’t find their wallet, or they are so bad that they would still look for their glasses while they are on their forehead not having the slightest idea where it might be, or they could even forget their heads if they weren’t attached to their body.

Losing things can lead to disagreements, as once a person becomes fixated on finding an item. It will often lead to rumination.  This will cause you to have constant and repetitive thoughts about something which leads to your brain shutting off.  You might suspect someone of taking or stealing the object, yet the person has no clue where the item is.  Without proof, it can be challenging to tell where your stuff went.  Worse, your continued accusations may cause deep rifts between friends due to distrust.  One of the most common misplaced items is a cellphone, even though they have apps that can find your phone.  Losing a mobile phone has become so common that is has been given its own name, nomophobia.

Written for FOWC with Fandango – Disagreement.