When I'm having a busy week (which is most weeks lately), I tend to misplace things more often around my house. And then I find them in the most random places.
The other day, I couldn't find the container of grape tomatoes that I wanted to use for a salad I was making. I searched all over in the fridge for them.
I knew I had bought them; I distinctly remembered pulling them out of the bag from the grocery store. So where the heck did they go?
Then I checked the freezer...
There they were, next to the frozen vegetables and toaster waffles.
Seriously friends, tomatoes don't belong in the freezer!
It's not the first time I've found something I misplaced in my freezer. Or in a random drawer, or up on a shelf in a room where that item has never/would never belong.
I have a theory that when there is too much happening all at once, our brains hit a capacity threshold and can't contain any more information.
So the new info (or the memory of where we put something) just leaks right out and we don't retain it.
Based on this theory, it makes total sense to me that I might have an issue while I am putting groceries away if I'm thinking about work, my boys are asking me questions, the cat is trying to get into my grocery bags, the bills are staring at me from the counter, and wow there's a big dust bunny in the corner over there that I better pick up....
Bam! Tomatoes end up in the freezer.
Or my wallet shows up in the laundry room next to the fabric softener sheets.
Or my favorite pair of earrings ends up on the shelf above the sink because I took them off while I was on the phone without even realizing it.
It's really hard to slow down enough to retain that memory of where we put something when we are in those moments of intense over-stimulation.
I think the only thing we can do is give ourselves grace and be self-aware enough to realize that this is what can happen.
We should laugh when we find things in strange places.
Actually, we should always remember to look first in the strange places....
So next time you've lost something, take a deep breath. No matter how long you've been looking for it, try to keep your perspective.
Slow down your search and start from the beginning.
And....
Don't forget to check in the freezer!