Saturday, October 30, 2010

You Can't Take It With You

I had a scare tonight.  It's Halloween time, you'd expect that, right? Well, different kind of scare. I don't like to think of myself as materialistic, but maybe I am.  Five years ago while I was in England I purchased a few jewelry pieces. I wear them allllll the time. There is one set I particularly love.  They are a shimmery brown stone. I have no idea what they are- but they're awesome. It's a necklace and earring set. 

Tonight while surfing the web in my rocking chair, I happened to glance at the spot the jewelry was precariously laid (I've been telling myself for a month to put them away).  I noticed one of the earrings was missing.  There was also an el cheap-o set I bought at Claire's sitting with them.   It  couldn't have been the replaceable cheap earring that was missing, but one of my favorite because-I-bought-them-in-England-not-because-they're-worth-anything earrings was gone. I scoured the floor, shook out clothes that were lying nearby. The trash can was close so I emptied it of it's few tissues to see if it was in the bottom.  No dice.  I remembered that just last week I emptied my trash into the larger bin. I mentally crossed my fingers and toes hoping that my dad hadn't taken out the trash yet.

I emptied out the full size trash bin looking for my earring.  Candy wrappers, empty Sonic cups, used Q-tips, you name it, I rooted through it.  I pulled everything out because I knew if it was there it would have fallen to the very bottom. Ridiculously, I prayed I would find it.  But still trying to tell myself- in case it wasn't findable- that "You can't take it with you when you go." "You can't keep everything forever." "It's just an earring. Don't get upset."

It wasn't in the bin.  I washed my hands -thoroughly- and decided to look once more in my room. I crawled on the floor, putting my hands under furniture hoping to high heaven not to meet a spider and found nothing. Then, like the end of all good stories, there was a glint of light in the most unlikely of places: my Q-tip box.  How the earring got in there I'll never know. But after a quick prayer of gratitude, the earring, it's mate and the matching necklace (as well as the cheap-o crap necklace set) is put away and hopefully safe.

Again, not to sound materialistic, what would *you* crawl through a garbage bin to find?

4 comments:

Amy said...

Um, I bet everybody has done this, but I went through this to find my retainer once as a teenager.

Bakeshow said...

Yes, but a retainer is a necessity- your parents would have tanned your hide had you not found it. I'm talking things that are purely non-essential.

Cindy Lou said...

I have dug through a garbage bin to find a crochet hook, nylons that I knew were ruined but didn't have another pair and it was Sunday morning, and various items of jewelry.

ZAC said...

I would have done the same (you nut!). "Let the Holy Spirit Guide"...how many times I could have avoided unhappy endings if I'd only listened. HF must love you more than he loves me (JOKE)...I never found my first engagement ring, even after looking through trash.