One Inspiring Consideration After Working At The Lost And Found Office

Our objects are part of us

For a couple of years after the university, I have been working at the airport lost and found an office, and I enjoyed it a lot. Looking for a lost bag is like a detective job: with specific codes, you select color, details, airports. Every day, finding a suitcase after some research was a joy and a success: it was great to make passengers happy.

But most of all, I loved that job because I could get in contact with real persons, passengers who were facing a difficult moment. They were tired, anxious to meet their beloved ones or to finally start their holiday, and their luggage was lost.

Our conversations were not easy, and some passengers were aggressive and blamed me personally for their inconvenience. I was the last obstacle to their freedom.

However, I learned a lot about the passengers I met, when they told me what was inside their bags, and what was more important to them. I realized that some items were part of their life and of their personality. They were seriously attached to them. It was not a matter of money: they represented the persons and their life; they felt it was like losing a part of their story.

They could describe some items in detail, which made me think they used them and looked at them often like you do with a loved one.

Even when I was not traveling, in time a lost a few objects and they are still very dear to me: one necklace, a pair of earrings, ceramic dishes which belonged to my mother.

The heaviest loss I faced during the years is the contact with some friends. People I liked and loved, who were quite intimate and with whom I shared personal moments, changed their life. New families, new cities, new responsibilities. I always find it hard when I realize a change in life is causing a change in a relationship, but I now accept it as part of life.

I lost some of the memories linked to my family, and to our life together when we were children. I forgot my parents’ voices. I miss parts of my younger personality: naivety, distraction, and playfulness.

Yet, what I found is a treasure to me, and I know it is increasing in time. Now I have a better relationship with myself, a deeper acceptance of who I am, and a greater understanding of my feelings and of the other persons. I discovered the value of love, fear, and loss.

I found new friends, new jobs, offices, and colleagues. My life renews itself with every change, with little special moments, every day. I am finally aware that we forget parts of ourselves, but we become better human beings.

What about you, what are the important emotions you lost in your life?