The Last Place You Look

I’ve always vehemently hated the phrase “it’s always in the last place you look.” I get that it’s a joke and all, but it’s just so beaten to death. In fact, I dislike the phrase so much that one time when I was looking for something and someone nearby uttered the phrase, I actually vowed to look in two more places after I’d found what I was looking for just for spite.

And because I’m a man of my word, I did – I found whatever object I’d been hunting for, and then just for the gag I also looked under the couch and behind the TV.

Behind the TV, I found a $5 bill that had fallen behind there however long ago.

The lesson, of course, isn’t “spite pays off.” If only! No, the lesson that I choose to draw from this wild event is that we shouldn’t necessarily stop looking for something just because we’ve found it.

Take job hunting, for example. We look for jobs and we’re so relieved when we find one that we stop looking – but why? A better job, or even just a new adventure, could come from continuing to keep your eyes open in those same channels.

Maybe we shouldn’t live our lives with our heads in the sand, only pulling them out to look for stuff when we’re in dire need. Maybe there should never be a “last place you look” because you’re always looking, always aspiring.

Or maybe I’ve missed the lesson here entirely.

Oh well. I’ll keep looking for it.