Lost & Found

~ Kana Smith

I just got sucked into the “Daily Prompt.” I’ve been peripherally aware that the daily writing-prompt was a Thing, having seen blog-posts that responded to it—but I hadn’t really paid attention. My brain is a busy enough place that I don’t generally “go looking” for a prompt.

But I do go for a daily stroll down the lanes of WordPress’s Reader, looking at people’s blogs—and this afternoon the “lane” I chose was a string of people responding to the question, “What is the coolest thing you ever found?” It turned out to be fun, to look through the responses as a group—like a “themed” version of my usual perusing. It turned out to be fun seeing what people remembered, and what they valued.

There were quite a number of responses along the lines of “neat rock,” and some people who found artifacts (an old coin, a 19th-century ink bottle in the garden). Some people found useful things (RayBan sunglasses), and some people found valuable things (ambergris!—and I wasn’t sure she understood how valuable that is, monetarily speaking, so I did leave a note: ounce for ounce, ambergris is far more valuable than gold. If you’re in a country where it can be sold, that is. Look, my whaling-novel-research was USEful today!) Some people named pets. One person named his wife, another lamented a lost boyfriend (“found but couldn’t keep”).

Then we had folks going in for the metaphysical answers. Several found love, one found patience, one found her personality disorder. People expressed gratitude for finding pieces of music, and a recipe, a favorite game. A number of people named books. And there were two poems, a comic-book cartoon, a brief screenplay, and a short story, all responding to the prompt. (And I guess there’s this. A meta-response?) As a stimulus to creativity, I have to say it’s doing its job!

lost & found box

Oh, my answer, since we’re here.

I would have thought this answer seemed a bit cliche, though I actually didn’t see it among the responses I read. I have to go with GOD.

I mean, God wasn’t lost. I always knew about him. I even believed in him. But I didn’t rely on him until I “found” him in the room of the Little Red House, which was my first AA home group. Found him just waiting to take up my burdens once I finally let go my own death-grip on them. It was I who stopped being lost.

Before I showed up there for an A.A. meeting, I’d actually thought the Red House was a biker bar—it usually had a line-up of motorcycles out front. And sure enough, when I walked in, there was a lot of black leather, chains, tattoos, and cigarette smoke. I first arrived on a lunch break from my office, wearing a skirt-suit, and sticking out there like a sore thumb! But of all the different Meetings I went to (and I did sample a lot of them before settling on a home group), it was the Red House that kept drawing me back. It was a place where you might hear “fuck” and “God” in the same sentence, a place where all those “scary” bikers talked earnestly about their relationships with God, a place where I regularly cried and laughed in the same Meeting… It’s where I found God.

And I’ll admit I was pleased with myself, after I learned to ride, the first time I parked my own bike in front of the Red House!

the writer's motorcycle parked in front of an AA house
My bike in front of the Red House!

14 thoughts on “Lost & Found”

  3. Great post. Now my lost and finding feels like shit.

    I can only Imagine that bikers meant tattoos and black leather… then you, with a skirt suit. But I do agree that’s where God is. In the messy unknowing and the oh- so fucked up relearning. oh God! I hope that makes sense. wink. wink.

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  5. I found God when I became angry with the Church I was raised in after they terminated yet another pastor that I liked. It took about a year for their new pastor to come calling and asking if I would like to join a new class he started for our age group. Within a year I had been called to ministry and changed my entire life. Thank you for telling your story.

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  6. Hey Kana!!!
    Thank you for subscribing to the Curio feed
    I’m 14 yrs old and I’m launching my 5th ebook this Sunday 16 November ‘Dreamers who did it’
    This ebook is all about inspiring dreamers to take action and turn their dreams into reality, something I believe your audience would really connect with. Since you have an amazing community of 2,040 subscribers, I was wondering if you’d be open to sharing or promoting it.

    I truly think your support could make a huge difference, and I’d be happy to provide any content, links, or visuals you might need to make it easy for you. 🙏

    Thank you so much for considering this — together, we can help more people dream and achieve! 🚀
    Waiting for your response soon today is Saturday that’s why

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      1. Hey! Thank you so much for the opportunity — I really appreciate your support! 🙏
        I’d love to do the author interview and I’m excited that you want to review my ebook.

        Since the launch is tomorrow, I’ll send you the full copy of “Dreamers Who Dream It” tonight itself at kanasmith13@gmail.com.
        If you need anything else like an author bio or the cover, just tell me — I can send it immediately.

        Thanks again! This means a lot, and I’m really looking forward to it! ✨🚀

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        1. I’m happy to lend support to an enthusiastic young writer (having been one myself, once upon a time)… Why don’t you send me the other author-materials you already have on hand; I’ll read the book this week and work on some additional interview questions.

          We’ll have fun! :)

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