“I’ve done it again,” I think, kicking myself with frustration.
I’m in my room and have lost the key to my Cerro Vista apartment yet again. This is the third time in the last month I’ve misplaced the pesky key, and my parents are going to be very angry if they have to pay to have it replaced again.
I begin a sad attempt to hone my frustration into positive energy to find the credit-card sized key, although I feel like I’ve checked everywhere. I head into my bedroom and begin rifling through my clean clothes checking pockets. No luck.
My waiting friends are getting antsy and my frustration is increasing. Where in the world could the key be?
I decide to slow down and take a more methodical approach. I retrace my steps back to the kitchen where I check the pantry shelves, freezer, microwave and refrigerator before throwing my hands down to my sides in annoyance.
Repeating every step I have taken in the last hour in an attempt to find the key is easier said than done.
I head back to the bedroom and tear apart all of the nooks and crannies. As it turns out, there are a lot more tucked-away hiding places for small objects than I had anticipated.
After several more minutes of searching, I become frantic. I wrack my brain trying to remember where I could have put the ridiculously important piece of plastic.
As I stand there on the verge of tears, my friend comes in to assist me. She suggests I rummage through my candy drawer. I tell her the key is not there, I’m positively sure, but I’ll check anyway.
Sure enough, my key is in the candy drawer. Evidently I had grabbed the key and a tube of lip gloss from my jacket pocket and absentmindedly put them in the drawer I use to store my snack stash before closing it and forgetting about the items altogether.
I immediately began making excuses for my stupidity as my friends giggle, and I tried not to feel embarrassed for my mistake.
Losing things is never a good feeling; especially not when it is something important. Apparently adjusting to the college isn’t as easy as I had thought.
I remembered back to other times when I’d lost my car keys, clothes and — worst of all — a homework assignment. Those times were stressful, but I usually ended up finding whatever the lost item was, even if it wasn’t in as timely of a manner as I would have liked. I’m learning college is jam-packed with life’s little lessons — I guess it’s time to start working on my organizational skills.
Sydney Ray is a journalism freshman.