WHEN I LOST MY SMILE BUT FOUND A BEIGNET IN NEW ORLEANS!

I was reminded by a stranger in New Orleans recently of loss.  Her comments to me got me thinking of loss and its importance in my life. I know this sounds like a depressing idea to contemplate, but it really set my mind on the right path. Loss can sometimes be a sweet thing. When you think more about loss in life as I have recently, maybe you'll learn to let some things go and buy the t-shirt, too: Beignet Done That (pronounced ben-yay).

https://www.nyarc.org/content/first-timers-arlisna-conference-arts-du-monde-new-orleans 

I've lost a lot of things in life. You probably have, too. The older I get it seems that things seem go missing more easily.  Nah, not really true! When I had three young kids helping me run my house, things went missing just as often. There was just more stuff to lose and more people to want me to find them. (Hey, admittedly some things went missing on purpose... like those loud or messy toys that other people loved to give your kids.)

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I know you've had to experience the loss of your cell phone a time or two. I've lost my cell phone quite a few times. I'm not going to count the time I left it in the bathroom stall at school when I raced to the restroom and back in seemingly 2 seconds flat. I retrieved it at the end of the day when my brain caught up with my speedy lifestyle. On more than a few occasions, I've gotten a stern lecture from my three kids to stop panicking before I really looked. Early on in my cell phone acquisition, it was usually humbly found in the front pocket of my sweatshirt. Boy, did I have to laugh those off because my kids would stare at me in consternation, wondering why I didn't think to check there first before calling in the entire militia in search of my supposedly lost cell phone.  On a couple occasions, in my multi-tasking world, I would frantically search for my cell phone while I was on the phone.  Did you catch that?  While I was on my cell phone, I was searching for it! So many thoughts rush through my head in search of the house while I continue listening to the person on the line. Maybe, I lost my sanity, too?  Is loss really worth panic? The control factor in me wants to do everything possible up front to prevent and prepare for loss, and its alarm gets tripped into this full-on problem-solving attack mode, sometimes before anything is really even lost.

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I've lost the bitter feelings after listening to an accusatory rant. You know those rants that when listened to again bolster your ire to respond. I know my anger, right or wrong, that quickly swells like a twisted ankle, can cause bruising. Yet, in those quickly fleeting moments of rationality (yes they are still there in these happenings), I delete words that might brand my soul. Knowing how deeply words can scare my mind and scar my heart, I let them dissipate in the wind.

I hate when I lose the little plastic covers for my headphone's ear bud.  I know it's a small loss and are not needed to keep sweet music rolling through them, but they fit more comfortably in my ears with them.  It's the principle of the thing. Truly, they came with these covers for some reason, and I should be using them, by golly! It's a very little thing that's missing that I don't really notice immediately upon losing them. Yet, I want them back all the same when I realize they are gone! Some small losses do seem to inordinately impact our sense of well-being, maybe keeping us frozen, concentrating in too simple of a space and time. Don't get frozen by the small things. Let them go!

I lost my way a time or two on a clearly marked trek in the woods. I thought I was paying attention, but I suppose the mind wanders where it needs to. When I realized I was lost on my way to getting where I thought the trail was supposed to be winding, I really began to look around at my surroundings, to take in my entire 360 worldview not just the next step ahead. This loss caused quite a bit more trekking through Muir woods, touching cool mossy tree bases, soaking sunshine beaming through the giant redwood monuments, being mesmerized by drizzling waterfalls. Suddenly, I was very present in mind to my place in the world. I guess whether the path is marked or not, life can be made fabulous in each moment. Eventually, we found a road which we knew would help us get back to facing our goal. What a wonderful German lunch surprise that road also offered. Maybe, I wasn't really lost; I just found where I didn't know I wanted to chose to be. Maybe some treks in life don't require an itinerary, a could have, a should have, a would have perspective. 

I could write a lot more about what I have lost in life, but then I will have lost you as a reader.  My most recent loss got me thinking about how important it is to not lose my smile. While trekking down Royal Street in New Orleans toward Cafe Beignet, a lady passing me noted, "Hey, you lost something." Realizing she was talking to me, both my husband and I looked behind us toward the ground, thinking we had dropped something. I looked up into her eyes when I didn't see anything on the ground as she added, "You lost your smile."  Well, my smile was quickly found.  Her sweet reminder about my smile was backed with a smile for me.  I told her she was certainly right because I wasn't feeling well and was in a lot of pain.  I should have thanked her for helping me find my smile because her taking the time to see me reminded me that no matter what crowd I'm in or pain I'm walking through, I can still offer my smile. Hey, my smile is a whole lot cheaper than things in New Orleans and certainly as needed.

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