I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found

I never lose important things. I break important things, but I never lose them – especially in a cab at 1:45AM in Alphabet City while wearing an oversized men’s button up shirt and no pants.

That is where my black clutch containing my camera, ID, credit cards, metro pass, keys and the last of my cash until next pay check ended up last Saturday night. Riding away from me, while I stood in the street with Jesus, Robin Hood, the Walk of Shame and a pirate who had just peed in her pants.

Losing your purse is like losing your arm. Or your foot. Before you get a fake plastic one. Yeah, life can go on. But doing everyday things is just a little bit more difficult because you're so FRUSTRATED. And all you want to do is scream and hate yourself for losing such an important thing!

After coming to drunk terms with my loss, I spent the rest of Saturday night sitting cross-legged in my bed, eating cold pepperoni pizza, dialing 1-800 credit card numbers, the city of New York and numerous precincts.

On Sunday I woke up thinking my purse would be sitting on the floor – everything there, magically. When I realized it wasn’t, I cried. I called people and told them the story and cried some more. Then I worked out and went to bed.

As we all know, I am a creature of habit. So, I woke up to Whoopi at 7AM on Monday and like every Monday morning, I showered, made coffee and sat on my bed to check email. My one and only email was from Facebook, alerting me to a Facebook message I had received at 2:06AM from Joe Kwan.

Joe found my purse in a cab on Saturday. Joe has the purse at his apartment. Joe lives in Midtown and wants me to call his cell phone.

Coincidentally, I was spending my entire day in Midtown for meetings. I called Joe around 4PM, met him on the corner of 58th and Madison and we exchanged. Or, he handed me my clutch and I exchanged my part, which was the news that I was taking him out for drinks next weekend. He’s normal and grew up in Chicago and he didn’t steal my $32 dollars. I love him.

I’m lucky – so lucky. So lucky that now I’m scared that writing this post bragging about my luck will make me unlucky. But that's okay - I needed this luck right now, if this is all I get. Because now I have proper identification, so I'll be able to get home to Minneapolis this weekend for a much needed break from NY to see all my favorite people.

Cheers, Joe.