I Lost The Car

I lost the car.  Gosh.  It is so hard to admit this but it happened and it could have been a Lucille Ball episode.

One of our cars is a Honda Accord with no cruise control, power windows or power locks.  Shoot, when we got the car it didn't even have a radio but we added one.   The option of pushing a button on a key to cause the horn to beep is not available on this car.

Thus, it is easy to lose the car.  I actually  have to remember where I park each and every time I drive that sweet car.

Recently The Husband had a GI bleed and needed to go to the hospital for a scoping.  On the day of the procedure I dropped him off at the door and drove into the underground parking ramp.  There was a poky car in front of me and I remember following this car from one end of the ramp to the other end. We turned the corner to start down the next side and I was pretty sure I drove half-way down on this side before pulling into a parking spot.  I jumped out of the car and walked just a few steps to the elevator door.

There are two levels in this parking ramp.  I was so happy to realize that level one, where I parked, was the purple level.  Purple is a favorite color of mine and level two was the red level--red isn't a color I would call a favorite.

The Husband made it through his procedure without any sedation and received a good report.  We walked to the purple level in the parking ramp and walked straight out from the elevator to where I parked the car.  But the car wasn't there.  The Husband started walking to the right and actually walked all the way to the end of that side of the ramp.  I was so sure that I had parked across from the elevator that I only walked four to five cars to the left of where I parked the car.  It was not there!

As sure as I was that I had not parked on the red level, we went to that level and we walked all the way around the ramp and there was no car.  Finally I admitted defeat and I went back to the main lobby of the hospital and told the doorman that I'd lost the car.  He reassured me that I probably had not lost the car and he offered to go to the purple level with us and help us look.

Mr. Doorman had me walk to the spot where I parked the car.  He then asked me to walk all the way to the left and look for the car.  The stupid stubborn side of me just knew that I wasn't going to find the car but I felt I had to follow his suggestion.

Have you figured out the ending?  About 25 cars from where I left the car (snicker snicker), I found the car. As I stood there looking at how far I actually did walk to get to the elevator, I realized that perspective is really an important part of my life.  The thought that I actually walked farther than what I remembered caused me to stop dead in my tracks.  I really must have been pre-occupied to not have paid attention to where I parked.

My new friend, Mr. Doorman, was so kind.  He looked me right in the eye and said "you would not believe how many times a day I get told by people just like you that they have lost a car.  And you would also not believe how many laps I make each and every day in the ramp helping people look for their lost car".  Somehow that did make me feel better.

The day I lost the car I also lost perspective.  Both are scary to lose.  Finding the car was important but I honestly think gaining back perspective will be more important.  Anyone know how to find it?