The lost and found at a school is a pretty crazy place. It is a random collection of items that sometimes feels like I am looking at the real life version of the Island of Misfit Toys. As I entered the office last week, I noticed a large collection of tumblers, cell phones, ear buds, hoodies, back packs, and other random items on one of the shelves near my administrative assistant's desk. No doubt, these were items that were found around the school during the week and were dropped off for safe keeping until the rightful owner showed up to claim their belongings. Many of the items were pretty worn out and in a state of disrepair in the form of cracked screens on the phones, multiple holes in the hoodies, and dents in the tumblers. All signs pointed to the fact that these items were used quite a bit, but were erroneously left behind because students got in a hurry and didn't collect all their things before moving on. I have no doubt that when students finally realized their items were missing, they immediately felt a sense of panic, retraced their steps, and had a little bit of a meltdown that something valuable to them was now gone. In their minds, they probably thought it was lost forever, but they hadn't checked the lost and found at that point. There was still hope that their "thing" would eventually show up.
The lost and found seems like a fairly ubiquitous place. I imagine that almost every small business, hotel, school, airport, or any other building that has a lot of people moving in and out of it, has a lost and found with some very interesting contents. One simply has to look at a lost and found and they will immediately conjure up a variety of stories about how items ended up there in the first place and if they will ever get claimed. Personally, in my mind, I personify the items and picture them arguing in the dark about how their owners will eventually show up. It's as if I have created my own version of Toy Story in my head, but with lost and found items taking the place of Woody, Buzz, and the whole gang. No matter which way you look at the lost and found, one thing is for certain. Each item has a story to be told that only the owner can tell.
While I am not sure there is a place like the lost and found for people, I definitely feel as if there should be. I'm not exactly sure what to call it, but I can imagine everyone spending time there at one point or another in their life. We have all been lost at one point or another and we have all found people, things, or experiences that have made a significant impact on our lives. Being lost and found are not mutually exclusive. They are important parts of our story that differentiate us from others and make us unique. While we all may have similar situations and experiences that we relate to, our times of being lost and found are one of a kind. That is why we need to curate, cultivate, and share our stories with others. By doing so, we can give hope to others by letting them know that the lost and found is not a destination, but rather, a place that everyone of us resides in at different points in time. Someone that is lost needs someone who has found something in order to get them back on track. People that have found the path need to see examples of people who are lost in order to keep believing that the everything is a process of growth if we are willing to commit to the process.
I personally have been lost multiple times over the course of my life and my career in education. I have been disillusioned and had multiple opportunities to walk away. Each time, however, I found something that got me back on the right path and led me to some place better. It was hard work, but I committed myself to the process of growth and good things happened. In each of these times, I also became more and more resilient so that the next time I got lost, I was able to find a way out. As a man of faith, I truly believe that, "Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened. Ask and you shall receive." If you aren't willing to put in the work, you won't be able to reap the rewards, so you might as well do something or you will continue to reap what you sow.
Ultimately, the lost and found doesn't have to be some sad place. It can be an opportunity to be rediscovered and repurposed if we have the right mindset. Everything will get claimed at some point, and if it doesn't, it will be donated so others can find use in it. Either way, there is a story to tell and the lost and found has the best of them. They just need an opportunity to be told.
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