The average humans among us lose 124 items a year. They tend to lose said items between 9 pm and 2 am. This info comes from an app some folks use to find lost stuff. Consider me not average in this regard, but whether it is ‘above average’ or ‘below average’ is up to interpretation.

First I will state that as a retiree I misplace items far less frequently these days, so maybe I had help ‘losing’ stuff when I was employed and lived in a household of more than one. I have noticed, however, my cat darting off with a sock or two, so those I blame the washer for eating might be treasure the cat has hidden for amusement.

One could ponder if an item is misplaced, is it really lost? Just because it is out of range of my senses or has temporarily left my conscious thought doesn’t mean I won’t recover it. Seeing something in my mind’s eye and retracing my steps is great exercise for my brain. It serves ME better than trying to complete a Sudoku puzzle.

Also, if an object disappears and I never miss it, is it really lost? Seems like ‘need’ would be a requirement for the lost label. Good riddance.

Maybe coins are tallied individually to explain the high number mentioned in the statistics. Coins are never truly lost; they are in the couch cushion bank or in the stockpile in coat linings or in the trap between car seats and consoles to be withdrawn in penny-pinching times. It’s comforting to know I always have an emergency stash for the PN newsstand or for yard-sale bargains with no nearby ATM.

Keys and glasses were once the two items I lost frequently, and yes, there are even stats revealing how much time we spend in search of them. A lot… often…regularly. Now I have a car with keyless entry/start so if I’m in the driver’s seat, my car will start even if I have ‘lost’ my keys in my purse, now not so jumbled since I am not forever and always digging through it. As for glasses, I now wear trifocals. They must remain on my nose for me to function adequately. Once in a while I search for them when they are not missing. Old habits need to get lost.

The time I am saving NOT searching for lost items lets me do more reading, admittedly of some useless info. I will not be among those downloading an app to find lost things. I would need to remember ANOTHER password most likely, and I get so frustrated when I truly lose anything that I wouldn’t have the patience to fiddle with technology that is seldom user-friendly when my need is greatest.

Between 9 pm and 2 am most days I am in bed. What are those folks in the app stats up to during those hours to lose so much stuff? Get some sleep already!

December 12 is National Lost Day, so kick back with a cup of hot chocolate – it is also National Cocoa Day – and revel in the magnificence of your holiday poinsettias… yep, it’s a holiday for them, too…and contemplate where you fall on the spectrum of losers. Happy December 12th!