Something's always missing

We're on the hunt for my daughter's missing Dora bag. The bag isn't super important, but the Leapster and all the games we own are. She really loves her Leapster and I'm very concerned as to where it may be. It's probably hiding somewhere in our house but honestly, I just don't know where. Frustrating.

Also AWOL were my son's sandals. I was less concerned about these because we really hadn't looked hard for them yet, and they weren't expensive. I honestly thought The Boy just left those in his room or under a car seat or something. But the Leapster was an Issue.

Today, I asked the YMCA staff if I could look in their "lost and found." Honestly, I doubt that we left it there but we take that damn bag everywhere and so, you know, it could have gotten left behind. We live at the Y, so it was a possibility.

Their lost and found was a giant trash can filled to the rim with various, slightly damp items. The can had a peculiar odor that I didn't want to think about. I dug around but didn't make it to the bottom. I really should have taken out item by item and put them on the floor but I didn't want to make the YMCA employee wait that long. He told me that they go through and dispose of everything in the can about EVERY TWO WEEKS. That's a lot of "lost," my friends.

While rummaging, my son, who was nearby, caught sight of something. "HEY! That's my sandal!" At first I didn't believe him, but after putting it on and adjusting it, we were sure. The second one was nearby in the can, thankfully. He must have left them in the shoe cubby when he moved from gymnastics to basketball (they are back-to-back practices this summer).

If your kid is missing a shirt/lunchbox/backpack/swimsuit/thermos/shoe (but not a Leapster), I suggest you contact the Bob Sierra YMCA and check out their lost and found can. I suspect that, even if you have never been there, the "lost things" gnomes may have spirited your stuff away and dumped it in that can. It's the only explanation, really.



(We asked the Y employee to set aside the Dora bag if anyone finds it while sorting the lost items. I'm feeling guilty, though, and may put on some rubber gloves and really search it the next time we're out there. I feel like I'm looking for a retainer in the cafeteria garbage can. Sigh.)