A Game of Lost and Found
About 10 days ago, I asked my Instagram followers and my Facebook friends to play a game that imposed two very simple but (I believe) powerful questions to reflect on during the coronavirus outbreak and as they were slowly adjusting to life’s “new normal.”
I told them I wanted to play a game of lost & found.
I wanted to know one thing they had lost, sacrificed, or given up because of present circumstances and one thing they had found, realized, or discovered despite that circumstance. 
Here is the answer I gave them in regard to my own journey—
Something I had lost: the last month of my trip in Italy
Something I had found: that sometimes the hardest but most significant thing you can do when the world is hurting, is show up for the people in your own neighborhood
Life these days is all about pivoting, making adjustments, and choosing to remain hopeful. I believe that God may be showing us and teaching us more than just how practice social distancing, and it’s so beautifully evident in the answers of my friends, family, and community on the internet.
I wanted to share their responses in the aspiration that you could feel a little less alone in the pain, and a little more hopeful with every good found thing.
Here’s what they’re saying:
Jack
Lost: my drives to and from Dahlonega, just felt good to be in two different places
Found: greater importance in my job and thankfulness in where I live
Mary Kiley
Lost: my apartment at school
Found: peace in solitude
Liliyan
Lost: my study abroad program in France
Found: having the opportunity to see my family after two years
Chris
Lost: a vacation
Found: a new sense of respect for boundaries and cleanliness
Paulette
Lost: the organic thought of going out and just being around people
Found: stillness and relaxing, doing things with an intention
Read: My Personal Guide to Giving Back & Keeping Busy During COVID-19
Irina
Lost: meeting with my wonderful girlfriends over coffee/tea in cafes
Found: feeling a peace akin to the one felt during childhood— nowhere to rush, just simply to be
Kaela
Lost: my semester of college at my new school :(
Found: focusing more on my mental health, taking more time for myself
Maggie
Lost: my routine, simple pleasures of my day— grocery shopping (without gloves), running to Target, lunch with my husband at my favorite spot, looking forward to picking up the kids from school and hearing about the funny things that happened from my 16 year old (this may never happen again)— to some it may sound trite, but I happen to love my life❤️
Found: well it’s probably been 21 years that I have just not HAD to be anywhere— I love cooking & baking for my family & I can’t remember a time that I was not watching the clock, rushing to the next thing, I love having my girls home— what an unexpected and probably once in my lifetime gift— and having you all here for Story makes it all even sweeter, if not for the scary virus and uncertainty in the world, I would choose this life forever
Hannah
Lost: the rest of my junior year of college & a study abroad trip
Found: family time with EVERYONE for the first time in months & being able to open our home to a friend who had nowhere to go
Amanda
Lost: my study abroad program was canceled and I had to go home early :(
Found: I realized I’m in desperate need of a closet purge— going to do a big donation when I can
Riley
Lost: coming home for a couple of weeks & not working
Found: extra quality time with Eric ❤️
Lizzie
Lost: internship at CNN got canceled :(
Found: extra time with family & pursuing creative projects
Megan
Lost: a quiet cup of coffee while my kids are at school
Found: the spark that made me want to be a teacher... and I found it with teaching my own kids at home
Mason
Lost: visiting my family
Found: people are coming together and genuinely want to help like never before
Read this post to find out ways you can help during COVID-19
Olivia
Lost: my sacred study space at school
Found: closer relationships with siblings, something I never would have formed if I was away at school
Leah
Lost: my side of income for the time being, thankfully my husband can still work
Found: new respect for all the hard workers in the world who are risking a lot right now— already had a lot of respect but dang, these people are freaking superheroes
Jessari
Lost: last semester of college (memories, friends, goodbyes, etc)
Found: quality time with my fam
Brittany
Lost: the comfort of reuniting with my family & puppy, struggling with isolation & distance
Found: my hunger for community and church, God is constantly moving & cradling my heart
Ruth
Lost: Sofia’s first prom
Found: proud of her acceptance and not overreacting
Alexandra
Lost: my last semester at college along with the closure that comes with a graduation, last time dancing, and all of the “lasts” that were cancelled
Found: a time to reflect, relax, and care for myself before starting a full-time career— it is nice knowing I can take time for myself without having to feel guilty about missing out
Elisabeth
Lost: seeing my boyfriend, was gonna see him in London & then he was supposed to come here
Found: I will never take going to the grocery store or smiling at a stranger for granted again
Ginger
Lost: face-to-face time with my students
Found: a faint remembrance that all things happen for a reason (time to spend helping my elderly parents when they most needed me)
Jen
Lost: my respite care (for now), and since we are not having any visitors into the house, that means not nurses for a while. So, I am back on 24/7 duty indefinitely, but I’ve done it before so I will manage but it’s definitely something I have lost after spending significant time and energy putting that into place. But I know this too shall pass!
Found: a better understanding from others about being homebound
Emk
Lost: my best friends’ college graduations
Found: that people are SO GOOD
Savannah
Lost: the end of senior year and the closure it brings
Found: just how great and genuine the people in my life are
Maddison
Lost: three more months of study abroad in Florence, Italy
Found: time to work on myself and work on being present
Read: “Are you two going to be okay?” — Living 5,000 Miles from My Boyfriend
Natalie
Lost: seeing my niece, they were born last week— twins
Found: the fact that I’ve been taking so many things in my life for granted, but I didn’t realize until now
Mackenzie
Lost: the chance to have my senior art gallery exhibition
Found: not being at school and not being able to help people in class in a bummer, BUT it has made me realize that I want to go to graduate school to teach graphic design
Brooke
Lost: consistent human interaction with my friends that I’ve depended on for validation
Found: silence & isolation can be both deafening and necessary for character growth
Laura
Lost: a lot of free time, with work picking up and sort of a lack of hiring, some sanity haha, and probably some health
Found: a VERY weird and not super rational sense of peace, probably because I lost a bit of social media (on purpose lol), and I am just trying to focus on family, coworkers, neighbors, showing up for people in the little ways I know how. It makes me feel more whole, honestly, to see people stand together. I had lost a lot of trust that people are good, and I’m being proven wrong in a lot of ways, which is relief in a very difficult time.
You can’t find something special without being a little bit lost in the first place, and it looks like we are all in the midst of finding some pretty amazing things indeed.
If you want me to add your Lost & Found to the list, email me at olivia.frances.biz@gmail.com! Let’s keep this story rolling.
Read more about my COVID-19 experience below.
Seeking Closure: An American in Italy During the Wake of COVID-19
Read about my friend Laura’s experience living under quarantine in Norther Italy below:
“If this was just a flu, why would we ruin our lives like this?” Inside Italy’s Quarantine
Andrà tutto bene,
Olivia