I was thus pleasantly amused to discover recently that there is even a day of the year earmarked as Lost and Found Day — the second Friday of December. The annual observance has a twofold purpose — a gentle reminder not to give up hope when we lose things and to encourage us to promptly return things others may have lost.
DR RAJAN PHILIPS -
rajanph@yahoo.co.uk -
I have an incurable habit of losing things or absent mindedly misplacing them. Then spend futile hours hunting around for them. But I am relieved that it is not an uncommon human frailty, particularly in the context of today’s hectic lifestyle.
The joy experienced on finding what was given up as lost, is truly tremendous. I was thus pleasantly amused to discover recently that there is even a day of the year earmarked as Lost and Found Day — the second Friday of December.
The annual observance has a twofold purpose — a gentle reminder not to give up hope when we lose things and to encourage us to promptly return things others may have lost.
The Day was instituted in 2012 but the practical move to designate a place to deposit lost items dates back 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte opened the first ‘Lost and Found’ office in Paris. Soon the idea spread across the world and such locations became common at important public places like railway stations and museums.
Such places attract all kinds of common and unexpected items. For example, London’s ‘Lost Property’ offices collect about 130,000 objects every year. These include obvious ones like mobile phones and wallets to more unusual items like wedding dresses, urns containing ashes of the deceased, wheelchairs and even kitchen sinks!
We can get into the spirit of the day in a number of ways. First, we could make a systematic attempt to find something we have given up as lost. Clearing out some junk and clutter at home or office will serve a dual purpose — tidying up the place and help discover ‘long lost’ belongings. We can also resolve to promptly hand over items we find to points like the customer service counter of a mall or call up the owner, if possible. It is a sign of our caring and integrity. Aren’t we touched by stories of good Samaritans like cab drivers or fellow passengers in a bus or train turning in valuable documents like credit cards, passport or money to the owner or to the police station? Such acts reiterate our faith in human goodness.
Nowadays, baggage deposit sections in big malls and hypermarkets come as a big boon for absent minded folks like me. In case you forget to claim things you deposited, you know where to go back!
While incidents of finding things long after having lost are interesting, more incredible are the lost and found stories that involve pets and people.
I came across the story of a woman whose three-year-old son was abducted and taken away to a different country. The two were recently reunited after 27 long years , thanks to Facebook.
Reunion of twins, particularly identical twins, makes a strong emotional impact. The pair of identical twins born in Ohio, USA, Jim Lewis and Jim Springer was reunited in February 9, 1979 after 39 years of being separated. Their poor single mother had put them up for adoption soon after their birth, and they lived in two different homes, far apart. A touching story has a man finding his beloved Jack Russell Terrier that went missing five years earlier.
Losing things is an integral part of life. Lost and Found Day reminds us that we love to see a world where decency and responsibility prevail. Let it thus become a day that kindles hope and faith in the essential goodness of humanity.
Quotes:
Happiness is a simple game of lost and found: Lose the things you take for granted, and feel great happiness once they are found. — Richelle E Goodrich
Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. — Henry David Thoreau
Lost time is never found again.— Benjamin Franklin
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