The Buddhists have a saying: You are not looking for your (pipe), you are looking for yourself. Finding stuff is an art. I usually start by blaming someone else. Of course with a toddler or a pet, you may be right, but don't assume that. A mental search often turns the trick, but you have to do this in a non-stressed way; just let your mind roam over the possibilities over a day or three, when you feel receptive. Oddly, sleep is often an ally, not dreaming where you lost something, but as a way to clear the slate and open your mind. Another trick is using your eyes. Don't look where you want, or where you think it is, but all around at the possibilities. You often see a lost object somewhere you didn't expect, not where you logically project. Before I finally got it re-sized, I kept losing my wedding ring. Someone else found it in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator; my hand was cold and that made it slip off, I guess. After months, I finally found it in the inside pocket of a sports jacket where I'd reached for something. I am able to help my wife find her lost items to the degree that she calls me The Finder, but obviously I need this for myself as well. Happy hunting.
