It never fails, I temporarily lose my wallet when I have to be someplace. Last night, while getting ready for an early am flight today, I couldn’t find my wallet. Looked in all the usual spots, including my pockets but no wallet. I knew I had it a few hours before so it couldn’t be far. And yet I couldn’t find it. So, off I run around the house looking here and there with a growing sense of urgency. My wife didn’t even get up to look. She’s been through the fire drill too many times before.
Adding to the sense of urgency was my last trip where I got to the airport only to discover to wallet and no photo ID.
Why is it that things like wallets disappear right when they are most needed? Well, if I’m honest, that is the wrong question. The right one is, why don’t I always put my wallet in the same place every time when it is not in my pocket. The answer is likely that I don’t think about the crisis until the crisis. I’m too willing to put it in the right spot later when it might be more convenient for me. This method “works” for me a good portion of the time. The crisis only happens every time I go on a trip. Now if I went on a trip every week, I suppose I’d learn faster…
Ever have that problem–that you keep remembering you need to learn some important thing but only seem to remember AFTER the fact? Some things I learn with only one mistake–like the time I went to fix a lamp cord but hadn’t unplugged the lamp yet. Other things need a couple of times–like the 2 times I accidently cut an extension cord with an electric hedge trimmer. Then there is my forgetting to wipe the table after cleaning up the kitchen and the dishes. We’ve been married 17 years and I’m still learning to go and wipe down the table in the dining room.
Relationally we fail to learn as fast as we might. An extrovert keeps thinking his/her spouse would want to go to a large party. We starting conversation with “constructive” critism but fail to remember that it rarely goes well. Or we say, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this but…” and wonder why no one trusts us with their secrets.
What is the lesson you keep forgetting to learn?
Oh, I found that wallet in my computer bag. Now what possessed me to put it there? Probably not wanting to forget it…
12 Comments
September 11, 2007 at 11:30 am
This morning I was frantically searching for my 4yr. old’s lunch box, which I had seen my husband graciously make and fill up. He had already left for work and could not be reached by phone. We all ended up late for school. The older kids missed their bus and I had to drive them and then return home in search of the lunchbox again. I finally found it in the freezer (why?) and dashed off to drop my daughter at preschool.
My lesson that the Lord is repeating over and over again with me through circumstances like this? How to stay calm during chaos. I fail it every time. I yelled, grumbled, complained – and used a colorful word on the way to school that my son heard and wondered what it meant. How many more times will it take for me to learn this character-building, sanctification lesson? I’m grateful He is patient with me.
September 11, 2007 at 1:25 pm
My husband has this same problem, and he travels frequently. Not just his wallet, but his keys and sunglasses too. I don’t have much empathy at this point. I’ve even organized our entryway to include a place for bills and outgoing mail, keys, wallets and cell phones, shoes, etc. How easy is that? Just walk in and plop stuff where it belongs?
I’ve stopped getting up to help him look too. I’ve decided he must enjoy the drama of it all or somehting…
September 11, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Lana, maybe its our 40 year old brains but my mother will tell you that I was like this when I was 10. More than once I heard, “you’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached.” Llama Momma, hadn’t thought about the drama piece. Do women who use purses avoid this problem?
March 18, 2009 at 6:22 am
Yes, they do.
October 13, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Women use purses to limit their search area.
Sometimes it still takes equal amount of time to find a key inside a purse as it takes to locate it in between the couch.
March 31, 2008 at 6:18 am
@Llama Momma…
I don’t think he enjoys the drama. It happens to me quite a lot too and I can promise you that it’s quite traumatic. I actually just lost my wallet today and have an international trip the day after tomorrow, if I can’t find it in time, I won’t have any credit card, drivers license, etc. I’ll be devastated
March 31, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I accidentally left my wallet with the fine customs people at the ferry terminal in WA state. We had to “go through customs” because the ferry we took originated in Canada–it was so silly. Anyway, I dropped my wallet, realized it 10 minutes on our shuttle to the airport, got out, called the terminal to find out they had my wallet, took a cab back to the ferry area, got my wallet (hooray!), and then got a shuttle back to SeaTac in plenty of time to make our flight home. It’s funny looking back on it–it’s weird how some of our most trying moments are amusing in retrospect.
January 8, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Glasses. That’s why I buy tons of them at the Dollar Store.
My theory on why you lose your wallet….you, my friend, are not motivated by money so the vehicle that holds the money is not all that important to you….until you need to check in at the airport…or pay the bill at a restaurant birthday party celebration.
)
February 9, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Hysterical! My husband is looking high and low for my wallet (I lose EVERYTHING!). I decided to help by doing a Google for “where is my wallet.” As I write this, he finally found my wallet – phew; what a relief! I would rather take a beating than to spend the entire day at the DMV. I am going to try putting things in the same place every time. Maybe we’re just too spontaneous…
May 29, 2009 at 4:31 am
Lolololol.
I also just googled “where is my wallet” because I have just searched for an hour. I can’t find ti anywhere and I’m freaking out. I’ve never lost it before, and I’ve been a million places since I used it last. I assure you, there is no way anyone likes this drama.
i feel like crying and sleeping with my saint jude medal.
night all.
July 31, 2009 at 3:56 pm
At 60, I’m finally finding the discipline to quit playing “where’s the (fill in the blank) today.” As it becomes apparent that there is less and less time available on this planet to do those things left unaccomplished on the “bucket list” I find it interesting to improve my consistency at being consistent. Interesting? Now if I could just find my mouse…
August 13, 2009 at 11:05 pm
I recently did a personality test and one of the questions was I better at starting something or finishing it? I love starting new things, I loathe the end of anything-the cleaning up, the closure, the return to baseline. There is something crazy about keeping the activity alive by not truly finishing it. It leads to a lot of negative things like losing things. For example, I go out to dinner with friends-starting something I like, I get home glowing in the delicious food and company and toss my keys wherever-not wanting to break the spell of the evening with compulsively and deliberately hanging my keys on the hook. The next morning, when the glow of yesterday is gone, the harsh reality of the thrown keys brings shame and amazement at my careless act-then I do it again next time. I think it is an act of laziness on my part, somewhere in the back of my mind equating putting things away to some kind of a nerd who alphabetizes his spices. Funny thing is I am a nerd of sorts. Since my natural bent is to start things enthusiastically and finish poorly, I am trying to focus on finishes….the starts will take care of themselves.