Thursday, October 29, 2009

Lost

I had a very busy day; one of those days where you know starting out that you have way too many things on your list but decide to go for it anyway. And then it works! I had several assignments up in the Estes Park area of Colorado, about an hour away from my office, plus a dozen pictures to take in that surrounding vicinity. Appointment by appointment, picture by picture, my schedule was ticking down like clockwork. I love it when every thing falls into place like that. I was doing so well that I even treated myself to the Starbuck’s Mocha Frappuccino that I lust after.

I made it down the mountain in plenty of time to make a deposit at my credit union. I walked up to the cashier’s window and was chatting it up with the woman when I felt a scratch on my middle finger. Absent mindedly I reached down and swiveled the diamond ring that I wear on my right hand. It is a gorgeous ring that my former boyfriend (and dear soul) had given to me years ago for my birthday. I glanced down and all the air left my body in one whoosh. The solitaire diamond was gone and the empty prongs had scratched my middle finger. The woman across the counter shrieked, “Oh my God, you’ve lost your setting.” Instant memories of how I had felt the same irritation several times during the day, and without looking had set the face of my ring to an upright position, flashed across my brain screen. I had no idea how long it had been missing. The teller said reassuringly, “check your car, it could be right there.” My diamond was gone.

I managed to get to the car before I started crying. Driving home sobbing and moaning, I was dimly aware at one point of a man in a tall pick-up truck looking at me with a worried expression on his face. I ignored him and drove through my grief. I called my girlfriend and told her what had happened, hoping that some one else’s voice would help me wrap my mind around this situation. Once at home I got down on my hands and knees and started searching the seats and floor board of the car. My soul flipped for joy once as my fingers came up with a small piece of glass, but it was a left over remnant of the hail smashed windshield from three months ago. Deep in my heart I “knew” it wasn’t there.

I transferred the rest of my things from the car to the house. I tried to tell myself it was only a ring and thought about friends and family who were bravely facing far worse scenarios than this. I suddenly had the impulse to empty my pockets. I have been carrying around several small stones with different healing properties that I had been gifted with in Yellowstone. I pulled them all out and nothing. I almost started to cry again. I stuck my hand deep in my pocket once more and felt something tiny and hard, way too small to be what I was looking for. There it was, in my hand, a sparkling diamond. It was so much smaller than I thought it would be. I was again overwhelmed, but this time by my tremendous good fortune. I made a cup of tea to soothe my throat and nerves and lay on the couch. To the Angels of boyfriends, diamonds and birthday presents, “Thank you!”

* annette

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