Losing and Finding

This evening, we experienced some panic, worry, and, thankfully, great relief.

Kat had borrowed, from my brother, who lives in Temecula, a library book he had taken out from his local library, to use for a school assignment over the summer.  That book has come due for the final time (no renewals remaining) and he came by tonight to fetch it.  He'd intended to pick it up when they'd visited for Kat's birthday, but had forgotten.

After searching for it all over our flat, Kat concluded, as we all had at that point, that the book was nowhere we knew of (hell, I don't even remember seeing the book at all).  Kat remarked that there is a girl in her English class who has the exact same edition of the book, and she'd noticed it at the time.  I told Kat to try contacting this girl to get the book back, because library books tend to be on the not-quite-cheap side as far as books go, at least.

Luckily, Kat instant messaged the girl and found out that indeed, the girl did have the one that Kat had borrowed from her uncle (my brother), and the girl would bring it into class to return to Kat tomorrow.  So now, there might be a late return fee charged for the book, but at least it will be returned and no lost book fine assessed.

My brother reminded Kat that she needs to be careful with her things (and I emphasized that she needs to be especially careful with other people's things).  Because if something is lost, and it is one's own personal belonging, then it's lost.  However, if that which is lost had belonged to someone else, then not only is the object lost, but then a suitable substitute must be found, and for some things, like library books, suitable substitutes are hard to come by, if they can be found at all.

Out of this little saga, I'm hoping that Kat learns to keep track of things.  She'd previously lost other things.  One such thing was a digital camera which was given to her a couple of years ago by my previous lover.  She'd taken it to Girl Scout Camp, and had apparently left it on the bus when they arrived at the meeting point where they were picked up by their parents.  Of course, the first thing I said to her was not "Where is your camera?" but "Did you have a good time?"  It wasn't until hours later that we realized the camera was missing, and then we figured that she must've left it on the bus.  Of course, the Girl Scouts would have contracted with a coach company to provide the buses, and the drivers are in no way liable for any lost items, including cameras.  Kat was disappointed that she'd lost the pictures she's taken during the trip.  I was pissed that she'd lost her camera!  Granted, it was not an especially expensive camera, but it was the fact that she'd failed to take care of it that pissed me off.  She'd also lost the sunglasses that I'd bought for her to take on the trip.  They did not cost too much, either, but I refused to replace them.  Unfortunately, Kat's grandfather (my dad) gave her his camera to use, and he bought himself another one.  I remind Kat that if she loses this camera, she is NOT to be GIVEN another just so that she can continue to be irresponsible with them.

Less recently, Kat borrowed my swim goggles, which I had purchased at CVS for something around eight dollars.  They were not expensive, but they were perfectly serviceable, and I'd enjoyed using them.  A short while ago, Kat asked me if she could borrow them, and I replied that I had no idea where they were since the last time she'd borrowed them from me, so having lost them, now she's facing the inconvenience of not having them to use.  I just wonder how many times and how many things she's going to lose before it finally dawns on her that there is no infinite supply of stuff for her to squander.

Amidst losing this, that, and many other things, I'm becoming, suitably, less attached to material things.  Some things hold monetary value, and other things hold sentimental value (though those are few and far between these days).  For those things that have some significant monetary value, I have a safe deposit box at the bank.  Also in my safe deposit box are my citizenship certificate and a copy of my birth certificate (I have no idea as to the whereabouts of the original).  But, in the long run, they are all things, when it comes down to it.  Why so much importance?  Why is anything of any consequence?

I suppose that for me, convenience is nice.  It is comforting to know that something is available when and where it is wanted or needed, like bathroom tissue (aka toilet paper).  This is also the reason why I'd favor using handkerchiefs rather than paper tissues most of the time.  A handkerchief is there, and can be used when needed.  When it's not needed, it remains quietly in one's pocket.  The exception is when one is ill with a sinus infection, when one might really want to get rid of all those germs one is blowing out of one's system, hopefully never to return.

Anyway, I think I've written enough about this, at least for now.