Dear LPG,

I know that we all have to accept that we become a little more forgetful as we get older and I am no exception.  I think that I have always lost the odd thing from time to time, but lately my skills when it comes to losing things, especially now that we can go out again, seems to have improved to a point where they have become worse than ever. During lockdown there was so much time at home that whatever it was would usually turn up in the end and there was some comfort in the knowledge that it must be somewhere in the house.

In fact, I think that repeated episodes of that have change my missing philosophy quite a bit.  I have learnt to stand back and think about where I last had the item while letting days pass without losing sleep or gaining anguish over it, and I have learned a lot about how not to panic when I misplace something, it nearly always turns up when you least expect it.

I remember reading an article on the subject of what to do when you lose something.  According to that bit of logic, the most important thing to not do is panic and I think that this is the way to go.  I think that the more you take the time to worry about it the less likely you are to find it. 

I usually do all the things that were suggested; all the visualising to establish where you last saw it and the tracing of your steps, but after all that, it is time to do something completely unrelated if you can.  This applies most when the something you have lost is also something you need to find in order to complete a task you have started.   We are the luckiest age group because we can usually afford to defer and change track without ruining any time-limited promises we have made to ourselves or anyone else for that matter. 

There are a few exceptions though.  You need to keep looking for medication where timing and regularity makes them important.  Credit and debit cards need special attention if you have taken them out of the house.  Letting the bank know they need to be stopped if you can’t find them will leave you less worried and out of pocket if they have been taken.  And perhaps keys are worth a continued hunt if you have been out.  But even if you have to forget all the other rules I have just suggested, the stress is really not worth it.

Depending on your beliefs, let fate or God find it for you…

GK, Surrey