“The average person over 50 will have spent a year looking for lost or mislaid items.”
One of our newspaper writer friends used that statement, from a book she has, for filler in her column last week, and it sure struck home.
Actually, we probably wasted more time than that looking for stuff in a half-century, and the percentile has increased in the decade-plus since.
Despite computer files eliminating considerable documents, there are many drawers filled with paperwork, and stacks are accumulating. So, even if the certain piece is in “that pile,” it takes lots of time to sift through them all.
Many times we put horse equipment someplace so we’ll know where it is. Then, we forget where that was. Majority of the time, we eventually find what is misplaced, but not always.
One book by a cowboy friend was lost for years. We talked to him about getting a replacement, but he had sold them all, and wasn’t certain of another printing. Then a couple of years later, the original book showed up in the bottom of a box. Problem is, now, we don’t know where it is.
While throwing something away has often proven the wrong thing to have done, at least we know we made the mistake. That’s better than continually searching to no avail, thinking it will show up.
Cattlemen probably spend more time looking for “the lost” than anybody. It’s not that their cattle are really gone, but rather there is a specific count in a certain pasture, and they must be accounted for. One resting behind a bush in a ditch is sure hard to see.
More difficult is when a cow has a new calf and intentionally hides it, so only she knows where. Sometimes, even seasoned cow managers aren’t definite if birthing has occurred. Thus, looking for a calf that one isn’t even certain has been born is most perplexing.
The company gave us a “gift card,” as a holiday bonus, and we put it in our shirt-pocket with other things. But, when we got home, the card wasn’t there. Considerable time was spent searching to no avail. Doubtful we’ll find it, but whoever does will be happy.
Reminds us of Deuteronomy 28:55: “He’s lost everything.” Most importantly, Deuteronomy 30:3: “God will restore everything you lost.”
+++ALLELUIA+++