One Paddle Short But Still Rowing w/ Monica Lucia Hoffman – The Lost and Found Department of Life
- One Paddle Short with Monica Lucia Hoffman
There should really be a “Lost and Found Department of Life.” You know, a universal counter where you could show up with messy hair, mismatched socks, and say, “Hi, I’ve lost my sense of direction, two earrings, and possibly my motivation. Do you have a bin I can check?”
I picture it like an airport counter. There’s always a line—people clutching their phones, dignity, and sanity slips, trying to prove ownership. “That’s my self-confidence! It’s monogrammed!” Someone in front of me would be holding a bag of enthusiasm they lost sometime around 2019, and behind me, a woman swears her joy was last seen somewhere between Target and menopause.
We lose things all the time. Some losses are small and funny—your sunglasses that are always on your head, or the one kitchen knife that somehow has its own social life. But then there are the bigger ones: purpose, hope, love, trust. The kind of losses that sneak out quietly while you’re busy being “fine.”
Lately, I’ve been standing at my own imaginary counter, waiting to reclaim something I can’t quite name. Maybe it’s peace. Maybe it’s patience. Or maybe it’s that easy laugh that used to come without needing to be coaxed. Life has a way of scattering our pieces like confetti—beautiful, but impossible to sweep back into place all at once.
But here’s the thing about the Lost and Found Department of Life: sometimes, the item you come looking for isn’t the one you get back. You show up hoping for your old spark, and instead, you’re handed something new—wisdom, resilience, or just the ability to laugh at how long you’ve been standing in line. It’s never quite what you expect, but it’s usually what you need.
I’ve learned that what’s truly lost doesn’t always need to be found in the same form. Maybe we outgrow the old version of joy. Maybe peace looks different now. Maybe we find love not in grand gestures, but in small ones—like someone remembering how you take your coffee, or the way a sunset still knows how to reach you even when nothing else does.
So tonight, if you’re missing something—your faith, your energy, or your favorite earring—don’t panic. Life’s lost and found isn’t first come, first serve. It’s a process. You’ll get your turn at the counter, and when you do, you might find something even better waiting.
As for me, I’m still looking—but I’m smiling again while I do. Maybe that’s what I was missing all along.
Still rowing.
Monica Lucia is the Author of The Final Chapter and a passionate advocate for those navigating grief and loss. She is the Founder of Widow’s Den and Sisterhood of LKN, dedicated to supporting families. In addition to her writing and community-building work, Monica is the Grief and Bereavement Counselor and End-of-Life Doula at EveryStory Partners, Charlotte, NC. [email protected]
