Nine Lives?

I bought my iPhone in October last year, as a birthday gift for myself. It's not yet nine months old, but already has been lost three times. And found!

The first time I lost it was in Washington DC. Devna and I had just finished meeting one customer and decided to go see the White House while there was still some daylight left. We got on a taxi just around the corner from the CEB office and chatted all the way. Somewhere along the way, for reasons I don't recall, I decided to put my phone on the armrest at the window side. And that's where it was when I got down too. I realized what had happened within 5 minutes of getting off. A brand new iPhone 4...lost in an unfamiliar city, I resigned myself to its loss almost immediately. But Devna was more of an optimist and I think a little shocked at my cavalier attitude. She dialed my number and kept dialing for at least 10 times, until finally the taxi driver picked her call. The good soul agreed to meet us where he had dropped us some twenty minutes ago, even though by now he was in another part of the city. I was reunited with my phone and couldn't have been more grateful to Devna for her persistence and to the cabby for his goodness of the heart.

The second time I lost it was when I had just started my sabbatical. Atreya had encouraged me to cycle around the town for exercise, so I had taken his bike out and done a 5Km ride. When I reached back and was locking up the bike, I noticed that my phone was no longer in my trouser pockets. Remembering Devna's persistence, I decided to be persistent too. I rode slowly all the way around the route I had taken, but the only good that came out of it was the extra exercise I got. Back at home, called my number and it rang but no one picked. Finally with a heavy heart, I called the auto helpline and disconnected the SIM card. The next day, as I was planning which Hello shop to go buy a replacement, Atta called to say that a man had called to say he had my phone. This man had been running along the same route I had cycled, and found my phone on the road. He returned the phone to Atta after making sure it was his mom's phone. What a good soul!

The third time was yesterday. I looked for my phone just before leaving for my dance class but couldn't find it. I dialed the number, thinking it was hidden behind some pillow, but the number didn't get through. Puzzled, I wracked my brains thinking about when I had used last and recalled (after jogging my memory for over 40 minutes) that I had placed it on top of a dustbin (!) outside the condo provision  shop when Aloka wanted my help in opening her ice cream wrapper. I had her bag, her witchy, my purse and my phone in my hands, thus the smart move of placing the most expensive item on the dustbin to free my hands. Well, that's where I left it. Mallika checked with the security guys but no one had seen it (the shift had changed anyway by then) and she was told that she should not expect to find it. I was very saddened but what's the point of wallowing in it. A mistake was made and I had to deal with its consequences. This morning, I once again auto disconnected the PIN and an hour later, received a call from the condo management office. The lady, a friend of mine and a fan of Aloka's, had my phone- a security guard had deposited it as a lost and found item. She knew it was mine because of Aloka's photo as the screensaver! Once again, saved by a kind-hearted honest man.

I know I am very lucky to have it back three times over. The next time, I may not be so lucky. Got to find a way to keep my mind focused on it when in unfamiliar places, doing unfamiliar activities, and handling too many things. Got to be more responsible. Any ideas anyone?