Oops. I did it again.
I left my iPad on a plane for the second time, but I found something better in return.
Last time I got lucky. I left it in the seat pocket in front of me on a Stockholm to JFK flight on SAS. I only remembered when my taxi was a couple of blocks from my apartment in Manhattan. I called lost and found. They found it and shipped it back to me. That was only last October.
I don’t know if I will be so lucky again. This time I left it on a JetBlue flight from Liberia, Costa Rica back to JFK. I was coming back from Forward/Story last night. I was tired, ready to be off the plane, and careless. Again.
I’m not sure if they will find it this time. I’ve left message and sent an email with JetBlue Lost and Found.
Nothing.
Fingers crossed, but I’m already past denial and into mourning.
My iPad and I had good times and logged a whole lot of mileage together. Like with my laptop, I covered my iPad in stickers that I received as gifts and conference schwag. Each sticker represented a story of an experience.
In addition, the iPad was a gift from my mom — sort of a sorry-you-are-temporarily-homeless-after-the-flood gift after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City. Lots of memories indeed.
Today I found something better.
I was attending a panel on social entrepreneurship tonight at the New America Foundation, and afterwards I met an artist named Aaron who was sitting in the row in front of me. We got to chatting about crowdfunding and other revenue models for the arts, and then he pulled out some examples of work that he does with 5 Year Plan, which produces and sells artist editions on handwoven bags and other textiles to support a village in India.
I complimented the works and suggested to Aaron that he do a pop-up store with Made in the Lower East Side to get the bags and other textile art pieces in front of new audiences.
Then Aaron offered me one of the bags as a gift.
A spontaneous act of generosity and inspiration. He knew nothing about the recent loss of my iPad. His act of kindness filled me with gratitude and reminded me of something greater than myself — our shared humanity. How fitting that the bag features a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I had a habit of reading articles and catching up on emails in bed with my iPad before going to sleep. Now I will need a new habit and new dreams. Better dreams to work towards a better me and a better world.
I’ve lost my iPad but found perspective and healing. Such is the power of art, generosity, and letting go to let abundance in.
