Lost and Found

I’ve always liked the idea that some items have a special place, somewhere they really belong. Perhaps it’s a romantic notion, to believe that everything that exists has some important purpose, but the thought has always shaped how I see the world. I go through each day, trying to connect the dots, to discover hidden meanings in the ordinary. Sometimes, the connections are pretty obscure, maybe even far-fetched, but I can recall an interesting event a few years ago, where the connection was clear.

My mom and I had been vacationing in Colorado – Rocky Mountain National Park, to be exact. The lush forests, snowy mountain tops, and endless dandelion-filled meadows create scenes of pure magic for anyone lucky enough to spend time there.

I am always incredibly grateful or the opportunity to visit my favorite place. We love to hike in the mountains. Something interesting happens on almost every trail! We once came up two female elk who were having a bit of a skirmish and they had resorted the rearing up on their hind legs and using their front hooves to strike one another. It was the strangest thing, and very rare to see too. The female elk are almost always docile to one another (the males are a much different story). We shared the experience with only one another. It was sunset at the park, and almost everyone had gone. On that same day, we were also followed by some very curious deer on a trail that wound through a forest of aspen trees. We were later surprised by a young moose in the same area where we had seen the elk.

The point is that the national park is a very special place to my mom and I. We have the most amazing adventures and always come back with the craziest stories. In addition to our hiking, we also enjoy discovering treasures at the local shops! Estes Park and Grand Lake (the towns on either side of the park) have an abundance of shops and restaurants, each with really unique items or food that we can’t find where we live. (If you are ever in Grand Lake, you simply must try the Mountain Berry ice cream from Grand Lake Chocolates, its amazing! Mom and I look forward to it the whole year)!

My favorite items to search for are clothing and in recent years, hats. Now, I’m not talking about your run-of-the-mill baseball caps with a logo on them. I’m talking about Indiana Jones barely escaping that boulder -adventure took you by surprise, but luckily you were prepared because you have an amazing hat- kind of hats.

Each year, I try to find one amazing hat from the shops in Estes Park or Grand Lake. It’s a hard task, considering each store is stocked to the brim with unique items from around the world. In the year that our story takes place, however, the amazing hat that I had chosen, after much debate, was an olive green, wide-brimmed, felt hat with a brown leather band and feathers nestled in the side. This hat had some major competition with some handmade leather hats, but ultimately, I chose it for its unique look. I especially loved the color.

It was my new favorite hat! From the moment the money left my hand and was exchanged for that beauty of a hat, my heart had been won! I wore that hat all over the Rocky Mountains. Adventurous hikes seemed like the exact perfect place to have a hat like that. I felt like I could be swept off on a dangerous journey by some supernatural force at any moment. (But isn’t that how a good hat is supposed to make you feel?)

On our last day in Rocky Mountain National Park, mom and I brought sandwich supplies for a picnic near Lake Irene. The snow had melted enough for us to walk down to the lake and enjoy the gorgeous view. Of course, I had taken my hat along.

(This is the part of the story where things go wrong.)

Mom wanted to get some photos of me in front of the lake, but that hat created a shadow that obscured my face. So, I took my hat off. I don’t remember exactly where I placed it, I’m assuming the bench or perhaps it fell beside it on the ground, but after a good spook from a wandering squirrel I’d forgotten I’d even taken it off my head.

Mom and I hiked back up to the parking lot, leaving Lake Irene and my hat behind.

I didn’t realize I had left the hat until I was packing my things. But it was too late. It was already dark outside and it had been hours since we left it. There was no way of recovering it.

While I know it may sound materialistic and silly, I cried. Not just a little tear or two, either. I ugly cried. This hat had been on some very fun adventures with me and I attached a lot of positive memories to it, so having it suddenly gone felt like I had lost some of the magic of the adventure.

We left the next morning for Texas. I scowled as I closed the car door. It’s always a disappointment to leave Colorado and this time, I’d left part of my story there.

The trip wasn’t over yet, though! On our way home, we always stop by our Aunt and Uncle’s house in Fort Worth. Its fun to visit with them and see all the local places. (Plus, my aunt loves to shop!) My mom, my aunt, and I are all avid thrifters. So, we love getting together to share a good thrift hunt.

They have an enormous Goodwill close to their house that I have found countless treasures at. For instance, I once found some white vintage lace-up boots, that I plan on wearing to my wedding, for five dollars! I have also found a brand-new skateboard for three dollars. But my best find was on this particular trip.

We’d gone for some lunch at a cool restaurant in Fort Worth before hitting up the Goodwill. (This Goodwill is actually a Goodwill Superstore- which may be the reason for its enormity). I usually shop section by section. I perused the clothing and found a lovely dress, some cool moccasins, and a trove of shirts. My cart looked absolutely ridiculous. My next section to search was the accessories. And it was there that I found it.

As I approached the purses, I noticed something on the floor in front of my cart.

It was a hat. A green hat. A green felt hat, with a wide brim and a leather band. I looked around, wondering if it was just wishful thinking.

I picked up the hat and dusted it off. There was a small stain on the top and the feathers were worn and broken. I flipped it over to examine the inside label. It wasn’t my exact hat I had bought in Colorado, but it was the exact same brand and style.

I held it in my hands, staring with shock. I looked it over again, flipping it back and forth. There was no price tag. I wondered if someone had been wearing it and dropped it. I glanced around, but I was the only person in the purse section.

I let out a giddy squeal and put the hat in my cart, elated with my treasure. Even better, when I reached the cashier, I told her I couldn’t find a price tag and she labeled it as a “bin item,” making it only 99 cents!

I adore that hat as much as I adored the one I bought in Colorado. I added a rooster feather to this one, to give it a little more character. Its my new adventure hat.

To this day, it still amazes me that I found that hat. Where had it come from? Why was it on the floor? Did the universe just really want me to have that hat?

Who knows? I'd like to think it was a gift.

All I can say is that I hope some wide-eyed little child with big dreams discovered my hat at Lake Irene and is going on adventures of their own now.