You know how the mismatch is so in. Mismatched socks. Pattern on pattern. Clash of the colors. Back in the day, wearing red and purple was an obvious no-no. Now. Pretty much anything goes.So I think, this is the perfect time for me to break out my earrings that I love, but have managed to misplace, lose or break one of the pair. I find two blue danglies, one a little more intricate than the other and pop one into each ear lobe. Wear my mismatches all day. No one notices. Think all I need are five people to take note. Say, “Coolio.” Tweet about it. And voila. A worldwide trend set in motion. And I will be an official trendsetter. One of my life’s serious aspirations. Seriously.You see, I never followed trends growing up. Even if I liked one, I refused to follow suit at the height of a trend, because I was aware that if I chose to wear, do or like the latest and greatest, I wouldn’t know if I really liked it or I just wanted to be part of the in experience of the moment. I think the most painful one I had to wait out was the jean jacket. I loved the jean jacket. But at the time when it was hot, it was so hot, everyone and her mother, sister, grandmother and cat wore a jean jacket. I couldn’t do it. So I hid in the shadows with my pullover windbreaker, silently envying the jean jacket wearers of my youth. Well, the mismatched earring thing literally happens one morning and by that afternoon, I find not only one, but both missing earrings. What are the chances? I never get that lucky when it comes to my daily life of lost and found. I might as well be awarded most frequent visitor of every available lost and found bin that exists.

Do you know the guy who said the toast at my wedding even knew how lost I was. His words went something like this,

“If you know Raj, she loses lots of stuff. All the time. Like I can’t begin to tell you how many times the bus company called home to report they found her bus card. Again. So today, when Santhosh was nowhere to be seen for over an hour after the reception started [long story,] you can just well imagine what those of us who worry about Raj were thinking. I mean, it’s day one. Did she lose her husband? Already?” Followed by lots of chuckles. Because you have to laugh sometimes. Or you’ll cry. All the time.

Had two other lost and found moments this past week. Regarding my, of all things, credit cards. I know. Sheesh to the sheesh. Just today, I’m at my kindergartener’s parent teacher conference when we’re just leaving from a raving review of our five-year old. Thinking she’s on her way to Harvard. Or at least not pulling pranks on the teaching assistant who calls her Giggles #4. My other three girls are Giggles’ #1, 2 & 3. Anyway, as hubby and I hug our fourth time’s a charm Mrs. F., another parent approaches with a card in her hand.

“Someone left this and a check on the floor in the bathroom.”

Even before I read the name on the card, my hand immediately felt my back pocket. “That’s mine.” I knew because right before I came to Sarah’s school I had planned to deposit a check. And then when I was running late, I stuck the folded check and my ATM card in my back pocket. And upon arriving at the school, you guessed it, I used the restroom. Just glad she found the items on the floor and not floating in the toilet. You think I’m kidding. I’ve heard of worse situations.

A good friend, two actually, dropped their cell phones in toilets. I don’t think Siri would forgive me if I did that, so I’ve been very averse to talking to her while taking care of business. Although I did ask her if I could go back to bed this morning when the alarm sounded. She said, in her best Siri voice, “Hot Mama. Get your be to the hind in the gym and work off that pumpkin bread you ate last night.” Yup. Siri is my friend. And she tells me the truth.Glad I got my check and ATM card back. Hubby just rolled his eyes and goes on to tell Sarah’s teacher about last week, when we’re walking downtown Glen Cove after grabbing a quick lunch together and the waiter from the sushi place runs up to me on the street. Waving my credit card. We hadn’t eaten there in a week. Can’t believe he realized it was mine? But he said he’d never seen a purple credit card before so he remembered me. That girl who talks a lot and likes purple.
Every once in a while the chatty purple thing pays off.Anyway, as we speak, I do not know where my wedding ring is and the main set of car keys [main because they have a house key on them] is missing. I lost the latter a few days ago and the former…let’s just say I need to invest in a metal detector. Yup, it’s been that long.So when my kids lose things, I realize I don’t have the right to go off on them. Even though I want to. Because I’m just a lost case, myself, in many ways. But the funny thing is, even in the midst of all my losses, I’ve discovered a few treasures. I can count them on one hand, things in my life that are impossible for me to lose and priceless in worth. And I share them with you today, whether you’re a lose-er or a keep-er by nature. Because, even the best of us misplace things every once in a while.

Thought I could come up with a top ten list of best things you can find and never have to worry about losing. But so much of what I thought of just didn’t pan out. For example, friendship. When you find a good friend, the treasure is immense. But sometimes life happens. Conflicts arise. Friends fight. Some can’t forgive and friends leave. Friendships end.

Then there’s marbles. Peter Pan taught us that you can find them again. If you lose them in the daytime, you’ll find them in your dreams. Or in never-never land. Yeah. Not sure how that one works.

And then there’s love. When you find love, you’re floating in that place where your eyes glaze over and anyone who sees you knows you’re a tad off-balance. Not all there. Because you’re always thinking about the person you’ve fallen for. You’re in that place where you feel high from another person’s presence. But, the truth is, love, if left only to the whims of fuzzy feelings, would be as easy to keep as water in your hands. Feelings come and go. And as amazing as they can feel at times, they just can’t hold two people together.

When I hear of people who say, “I just fell out of love with my spouse,” I’m mortified. Because I’m an ‘ever after’ type of gal, believing love is supposed to last, well, forever. Not that I think every moment is “happily” or “perfectly” lived out. I’m aware of the messes two people are when they take their vows and attempt to live them out year after year, day after day. But I still believe in the fairy tale. That you can work at it with your partner and cross the finish line, together. Sorta-speak.

But that’s not the case in so many marriages. So many end nowadays, it makes me sad. So I hesitate to suggest love as the one thing that you can find and never lose, because hearts break and love is lost.

So scratch the top ten. In the end, there’s only one. You know that “one thing” One Direction sings about. There’s only one person who has that one thing. And it’s surprisingly not a secret, although its secret potential for fulfillment will often go unnoticed or rejected.

Tomorrow’s Christmas! After you open your presents and have yourself some egg nog. After you throw away the wrapping and sing a carol or two. After you’re tired of tinsel and your feet are sore from dancing around the Christmas tree. Kick back and come back here. To read my take on the One Thing!

Until then, have a very Merry Christmas and hope you find that special something under the tree. Especially that One Thing!

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What about you? Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
What’s the hardest thing you ever lost? Did you find it again? What do you keep in a safe place to keep from misplacing it?