Gratitude! Ecstasy! The happiness of finding my lost Filofax.

I’m old-fashioned when it comes to keeping my calendar, and I carry around a worn, fat Filofax that contains every piece of information I need to live my life: my calendar, addresses and phone numbers, class lists for both girls, business cards for doctors, repairmen, etc., a list of important birthdays, a subway map of Manhattan, and a few precious mementos, like the Valentine heart the Big Girl made for me when she was in kindergarten.

Last night, I was at a friend’s house for the meeting of the children’s literature book group (we read To Kill a Mockingbird if you’re curious). I got out the Filofax to look up our next meeting date. I thought, “Zoikes, I’d better get my Filofax back in my backpack quickly, or I’m going to forget it.”

Fast forward, back at home. I realized that I didn’t have my Filofax. I was 80% sure that I’d left it in my friend’s kitchen, but I was kept awake long into the night by dark fantasies about identity theft and tiresome hours spent re-creating the information I’d lost.

At the stroke of 7:00 this morning, I called my friend. She had the Filofax. Her office is in my neighborhood, so by 10:15 I had my Filofax back in my hands.

What joy, what relief! In college, a friend told me about the “Lost Wallet Syndrome.” “No matter what’s happening in your life," he explained, "if you lose your wallet, you think, ‘How happy I would be if I would only find my wallet.’ But then, if you find it, you’re happy for about two minutes, and then you’re right back where you started.”

Well, “Lost Filofax” happiness is probably not a tremendously enduring happiness, but for today at least, I know that I’m going to feel very, very happy.

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Some of my happiness-project resolutions include "Make books" and "Take time for projects," and I was amazed by these beautiful art books (not about art, art themselves), from the Flying Fish Press gallery.

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Interested in starting your own Happiness Project? If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. No need to write anything more than “Resolutions Chart” in the subject line.

Comments

[reinkefj]

Now, as a fat old white guy with lots of live experience (i.e., made LOTS of mistakes in my life) may I suggest that the Universe has given you a "gentle reminder". Perhaps, you should consider heading down to you favorite office store, spending twenty bucks on copying, and make a duplicate of your precious "information store"? I preach computer backups a lot, but no one seems to listen. When the inevitable happens, then the shouldas, couldas, and wouldas come out in force. This was your first warning from the Universe. Remember lessons will continue until the student learns. Next time, the separation MAY be longer. After enough "lesson attempts", the Universe may decide for a more painful "teaching moment" and not return it at all. This lesson is akin to "don't keep all eggs in one basket", "Murphy's Law", and "Don't believe; watch 'n' see what happens young (wo)man!". Word2wise.

:-)

[Jen]

I had a moment like this a few months ago. I was in Canada, and had taken a taxi back to my hotel from my business meeting. After paying the cab driver, I got out of the cab and my wallet fell out of my purse--cash, credit cards, driver's license...thankfully, I had my passport (parents always told me to keep that separate from my wallet--thank goodness).

The cab driver--what a lovely gentleman--noticed my wallet sliding across the back seat and returned to the hotel with it. I had been losing my mind for about 20 minutes by then; I've never been so happy to see someone! I gave him quite a tip (along with a huge hug that startled him).

That happiness lasted quite a while, and even now it reminds me that there are good people out there who are willing to help a stranger.

[Kim]

I'm glad you found your Filofax! There is nothing quite like that moment of happiness when you find something. One of the very few joys of having ADD is that I get to experience that "what has been lost is now found" happiness frequently. It's not quite enough to offset the frustration of frantic searching and stress, but it helps.

[Fitness Surfer]

I still struggle with using technology to do everything. If it’s not on the calendar then I’ll forget it. Even if I set an alarm with a memo on my phone.

Honestly, I tend to blame someone when I lose things. I did it as a kid…”did you take my…” Now I still catch myself doing it as an adult. I think, “he must have moved it…” Almost every time I’m the one who moved it or took it. I like the idea of focusing on how happy I would be just to find it, instead of focusing on how it got lost. That kind of positive mental attitude would blend with my creative subconscious (what some people call Karma) and would help me find it even if I stopped looking.

[e-Crave.com]

Move. You'll be amazed at the stuff you find when you pack up.

[EscapeVelocity]

Yesterday morning my car wouldn't start. I got it a new battery and the first couple times I started it after that I was happy, but I'm already starting to take it for granted again.

[dr aletta]

Ever lose your kid? My daughter was a wanderer when she was little. We'd be in a store, she'd disappear to be found (after much panic and desperate prayers) in the canned goods aisle mad at me for losing her. Talk about relief and happiness.

[Joe Miller]

CWhen I lived in NYC, I lost my wallet a couple of times--never thought I'd see it again. Both times the person mailed back to me.