3 Years Later, A Surprising Reunion with Something Important

A few weeks into December, I received a message in my “Requests” folder on Facebook. I didn’t know it at the time, because it was buried in Facebook purgatory. It had only been a month before I thought to check my request inbox. I got the following message.

Hi, you don’t know me, but we found a bag with your credit cards on my roof in Park Slope Brooklyn. Have you ever had a bag lost or stolen in the past few years? If so, let me know; It still has a couple of things.

My heart just stopped in my chest.

For those new to the site: While I was in the ER in August 2017, getting a spinal tap that would leave me disabled, the apartment I was cat sitting in was stolen. In fact, the time the burglar entered the apartment (according to the time stamp on the apartment’s baby cam) was the same time the doctor was performing the lumbar puncture.

That concussion curb aside, part of what was stolen was my trusty Tom Bihn Synapse Daybag. The thief used it to collect my belongings and the belongings of the apartment tenants, stuffing the bag but leaving my Canadian passport and a $5 Canadian bill on the sofa when he left.

Once my heart started beating normally, I responded to the woman thanking her and trying not to overwhelm her with all the crazy details of the night. I asked where he was, and briefly explained that the robbery happened while I was in the hospital, and that I never expected to see my bag or its contents again.

Turns out she lived just a few houses down from where the house sits, and she recently paid someone to clean her chimney after a few years. It was the chimney cleaner who found my bag tucked into the side of the chimney vent on the roof of his house.

In the bag were some random and not-so-useful things: a blue dice No Mine, my old hand lotion, some Tylenol, and travel meeting business cards and greetings. Happily, it also contained both pairs of prescription glasses that I had to replace after the theft. Eyeglass frames are subject to wear and tear from temperature fluctuations over the years, but should be able to be adjusted at an optometrist. Among these items were a few of my credit cards.

The woman a few doors down from the apartment found me on Facebook after delivering the chimney cleaner bags, and sent me a message. I assume he would have realized that it would be a few years ago since all those cards had expired.

What wasn’t included: A stolen laptop, money, jewelry stolen from an apartment, and more.

As you can imagine, this woman’s message was bounced. all of feelings. I wrote him back, but it took a while for him to see my reply, and by then I was overwhelmed with memories. That evening was the worst evening of my life. For an unexpected reminder, it felt like lifting a lot of sediment from the bottom of a lake that appears clear. It allowed me to work through some of those emotions in ways I hadn’t yet been able to, though I’m grateful for that. After all, it was a good workout.

And of course I am very grateful for his efforts to reach out to me.

Finally, one of my best friends went to get the bag. This friend is Cheryl, who I went to law school with. We became good friends when she offered to sew a mermaid tail out of sequin stretch fabric so I could sing a parody of Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. (The song was “Part of the Firm” and yes, the tail had a little flex so I could flop it around the stage when I walked. And no, I’m too old for a digital version of that song. Thank God.)

Cheryl and I ended up working at the same New York firm several years later, and by then were pretty much inseparable. We’d have lunch together, we’d alternate coffees, and we’d stay in touch when I’d quit my legal job to travel and I’d often house-sit for her and her husband when I’d go back to New York in the summer.

I mention all of this because Cheryl knows me Knows me – She knows all the things that make me happy and make me sad. And of course she knew how smart it would be to get that bag.

So, he put on the bag with loving frenzy, to make me feel better. He not only washed and dried it, but sent it back to me full of llamas.

A llama sweatshirt, llama Christmas tree ornament, llama card, llama notebook, and more.

I was wondering what to do with the bag, now that I have it back. Tom Behan kindly mailed me a replacement when he read the theft story, and I’ve been using it daily.

I considered burning it, or shredding it, or just donating it. But ultimately, it felt like a miracle that it had come back, three years later, remarkably. I decided to present it to another good friend who would appreciate the ruggedness of the bag and use it for his needs as well. And once found, who would appreciate its limification?

Her reaction to my offer was exactly my train of thought: that it was a miracle bag and deserved a good home, turning the bad into something useful and kind.

It looks like just a bag, but for those few weeks it felt like it was going to replace all the trivial weight of life. Until it had a new home, the bag held my breath, a temporary space between an old, mobile pair and a pair I still knew.

For me it had some power, it felt like it had come back into the cycle of life. Power to handle the emotions that come with receiving a bag. And a hope that by closing this chapter, it will bring me more healing in the future.

Since you all have come along with me on this extraordinary ride, I want to share this story.

Someone once told me that I’m an outsider of possibilities, and I think the reunion with this bag falls into that category. All I can do is ride the waves as they crash, and try to feel the power that comes from going through them.

Other brief updates:

• Patreon! We’re up to 209 patrons, and it’s a beautiful new community. I’ve enjoyed sharing little posts there and the feedback has been great.
• Newsletter! Despite my leaky state, I’ve managed to put out a monthly newsletter, filled with the best long reads from the previous month, and a bag of fun things to explore from around the web.
• Redesign! It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re close. I am excited.

I hope everyone is safe and doing well.

– pair