The Lost Item Fairy

Where do lost things go?

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I write about many things personal: stories of growing up in China, finding home in the U.S., and the tiny thoughts that connect us all. Joy, tears, and everything in between. Most posts are free and a paid subscription is the best way to support my work

When I was a child, I remember spending a large amount of my time looking for things.

“Mom, have you seen my hair tie?”

“Mom, where is my water bottle?”

“Mom, I can’t find my other purple sock!”

“They will turn up somewhere soon,” my mom would say whenever I couldn’t find something. “And If they are lost forever, there’s not much you can do anyway. So don’t worry.” Most of my misplaced items did turn up again, although some never reappeared. I wanted to believe my mom, but I suspect there was someone behind this. Perhaps, a fairy, collecting the things careless children left behind—pencils, half-used erasers, water bottles tossed by the soccer field, and comic books abandoned on the school bus.

How else could I explain why some lost things never returned, while others mysteriously reappeared in the strangest places? My favorite blue transparent ruler never came back. My swim goggles kept returning, although sometimes I wished they’d disappear so I could skip swim practice. My water bottles vanished so often that I decided not to have a favorite one.

That forgetful child grew into the forgetful adult I am today. And I am still certain, the lost-item fairy is still messing with me. The pattern continued. I forget where I left my things. Some reappear and some never do.

Take my beloved Samsung noise-canceling earbuds. I’ve misplaced them more than I can count—sometimes just the earbuds, sometimes just the case, sometimes both. But the lost-item fairy always returned them so far. She’s left them in the side pocket of my leggings in the laundry basket (dangerous), on the elliptical machine at the gym, on my office desk, and even in the office bathroom.

Knock on wood.

But I don’t always get this lucky.

One of the diamond studs that my mother-in-law gifted to me for our wedding was nowhere to be found, even though I swore I left it by my bedside. We searched the entire floor area, behind and under our bed. But the lost-item fairy must have taken it, maybe to punish me for being lazy and not putting them back in my jewelry box as I should.

The lost-item fairy has also claimed two pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses from me that my mom insisted on buying for me at the outlet mall, because of “how good I looked in them“ and “such a great deal.” If the lost-item fairy wanted to make me feel guilty for not taking care of my mom’s gifts, I’ve learned my lessons.

And so, I’ve made my peace. I lose things, the lost-item fairy collects them, and over time, I’ve learned not to panic when something goes missing. I know the lost-item fairy is keeping them safe somewhere, perhaps high in the sky or in another dimension. As long as I sleep on time, eat my veggies, and exercise weekly, she’ll return my missing items one day, even the diamond stud, just not all at once.

This Week’s Tiny Thoughts:

1. Bong Joon Ho’s new sci-fi-comedy, Mickey 17, is a deeply moving and funny story about a literal “expendable” employee assigned to dangerous jobs and deathly experiments. Because even if he dies, he can be reprinted, with memories intact. It questions the human condition, morality, and who gets to control other people’s lives. It’s no Parasite, but it is an enjoyable watch that asks equally big questions.

2. I am slowly making my way through Sally Rooney’s new novel, Intermezzo (2024). Reading this novel has saved my sanity from the anxiety-driven reading of all things pregnancy and parenting for the past few months. I kept telling myself, yes, I am going to be a mom soon and there’s so much I need to learn, and yes, I can still read regular books.

3. As we start planning for parental leave and childcare in the coming months, the latest episode of What Now with Trevor Noah made me think.

The ultimate paradox coming from a developed country versus a developing nation is the thing that you’re sold in developed nations is that you have everything…The one thing that nobody seems to tell you is that as a country becomes more and more developed, the one thing that gets eroded is a community..the village disappears.

How do we bring our village closer and build a new one when we are so far away from family? How do we show up for others and become the kind of helpful village members we want to see for ourselves? That’s a conversation for another time.