I found something in the Superstore parking lot.
I’m going to be deliberately vague about what it actually was, though if it was yours, tell me what it was and I’ll give it back to you. I found it on the afternoon of Jan. 8 when I was walking back to my car after buying some groceries. The lack of description is really some security, because it’s very easy to claim something cool for yourself if you have all the details.
I found myself struggling to figure out how to find the original owner, but I also really wanted to find them, because I suspected the story behind how they lost what I had just found would be hilarious.
I realized that as I reflected on why I definitely didn’t want to hand over what I found to a third party, such as customer service at the store. If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to hear the undoubtedly hilarious story of how what I found was no longer in the previous owner’s possession.
I did look around to see if someone was in the parking lot looking for what they had lost. I didn’t spot anyone, and that disappointed me. I wanted the story. I imagined a hilarious slapstick scenario worthy of a Buster Keaton film. I was hopeful that it would be something we could both tell people at parties and laugh about.
Admittedly, I wouldn’t object to having the object for myself, though there’s always the question of whether something I found in a parking lot is really, truly mine. That’s a question I mulled over for a bit as I considered what I should do with it.
But I think that the most important thing I could do would be to get the story behind it. I want to know what happened, I want to know if it’s as funny as I imagine it to be.
In the end, isn’t that what we really have? That’s why people value old photographs, diaries, letters and so on. Our most valued possessions aren’t the nicest things we own, but the ones with the best stories behind them, or the ones present at the even better stories that came later.
Look at the art world. The most valuable paintings are the ones where the artist was notable, not just because of the skill of the artist, but because of the story you can tell about the artist when you talk about the painting. The Antiques Roadshow is compelling television partially to see whether some guy just found $1,000 in their attic, but also because you can learn the great story about how they found that object, how they think it came to be in their possession, and the story of the people who created that object years ago. The most compelling story is typically the one connected to the most valuable thing.
In the end, if I keep the object, it will be useful. But if the original owner comes forward, there could be an excellent story behind it, and that’s the more valuable than whatever monetary value it may have. So if it’s yours, send me a message at devin@yorktonthisweek.com. Tell me what it is, but more important than that, tell me how you lost it. That’s the most valuable part, and it can be shared forever.
