We've all had this happen before. Some more often than others. You reach for your trusty pen in your pocket/desk drawer/briefcase/purse and, to your dismay, IT ISN'T THERE!
Before you know it, panic sets in, sweat starts to bead on your brow and wild accusations are being thrown out like daggers to coworkers and family members. You've lost, or as I like to put it "temporarily misplaced" your pen. To prevent also losing your mind, take a deep breath and follow these five tips to search for your MIA writing instrument in an efficient and cool-headed manner.
Firstly, calm down. Losing, or thinking you've lost a prized pen can be a cause for great stress, but taking a moment to relax and objectively assess the situation will help focus and have the clarity of mind to locate the lost item.
Think, "when was the last time I used the pen?" This may be easier to imagine than when was the last time you saw it, because there is usually a paper trail to give you a better clue. If you were signing forms, the date on the form will tell you when the last time you were using your pen, and may also give away the location.
Gently ask people around you if they have seen your pen. Pens can sometimes sprout legs and mysteriously appear on the desks of coworkers or in other places that you would never imagine to look for your pen. Be respectful and politely ask people who may have seen or used your pen before. Refrain from using an accusing, annoyed tone when asking the "suspects." Sure, they may have pen-napped your Waterman, but there are a majority of people that do not understand the value of a fine-writing instrument and will pick up and use anything they can find. Usually, they mean no harm and would have kindly returned it to you at some point.
Trace your footsteps. When you have an idea of when you last used or seen the pen, back-track your steps until you reach that time and place. Let's say, you reach into your pocket at your office desk and realize your pen is missing. You believe that you wrote a check yesterday at the bank with the pen. That is your end point. Think of all the things you did leading up to being at your desk. "I was in the break room talking to Kurt, then bathroom, then in a sales meeting when I took out my pen to lend it to the cute temp." Bingo.
If all else fails, do a complete Spring Cleaning of your office or home. You remember all the crazy stuff you find when you move furniture around? That works for finding lost items as well. Instead of waiting for the next big move, rearrange some furniture or reorganize the cabinets and drawers to make sure that no stone is left unturned.
Have a story about a lost pen that magically found its way back? Please feel free to post your Lost and Found pen story in our comments section.
i borrowed a friends pen and took it home with me after school on the friday and was using it do my homework on the sunday i had it but then my mum told me to sweep the kitchen so i did my pen wss by the computer but then my brother took the computer away into the other room and i asked him but he doesnt know where it is and its still the sunday and i havent found it it is sooooo sad !!!! please god help me find it !
Lost a beautiful Montblanc Meisterstuck that's been with me for 20 years. Trying hard to find it, but I don't think I will because the housekeeper has vacuumed twice since then.
i borrowed a friends pen and took it home with me after school on the friday and was using it do my homework on the sunday i had it but then my mum told me to sweep the kitchen so i did my pen wss by the computer but then my brother took the computer away into the other room and i asked him but he doesnt know where it is and its still the sunday and i havent found it it is sooooo sad !!!! please god help me find it !
My lovely pitt pen of two months has run away, just last night. My heart is breaking with worry, it was last seen in my hand. Oh god, I feel sick. What if it's been sold into the nib trade like on Taken? What if it's never coming back? The paper was just a little bit damp on the corner, I swear! I didn't even see the wet spot, please come back baby... I miss you so much. Without you all I have is this bic ballpoint, don't leave me like this! It's because I used a fountain pen that one time isn't it? I swear, there's nothing going on! It was only a doodle! It was horrible, anyway, that pen's useless, all run out of ink and everything. You're the best, I can't believe I even thought it would be fun to use a fountain pen! I was so stupid, it's not you babe, it's me. Just come home already! You know what? I don't even care any more. Just, take your cap and leave... I can't have your energy in my space. I just can't. So, goodbye forever. P.S. I still want you back.
i was using mine at school and i think someone took it, what do i do? i really like the pen and it can only be found in japan which is halfway around the world :(
The first time I lost my pen I waited for about 3 weeks for it to turn up. To console myself I actually went out and bought a nice filigree pen from Campo Marzio. I finally (casually) mentioned it to the new receptionist. She said there was a fountain pen in her pen caddy and I could have it. It was my pen! The second time I had it in the pocket of my jeans. I took my jeans off and heard a thunk. I searched the floor, moved furniture, but no pen. I even called Transit to see if I had dropped in enroute home. After several days of searching, I used steps like you describe and tried to think logically. It finally occurred to me the thunk could be the pen hitting my printer. I looked in the little slot where the paper comes out and there is was - in a very narrow space where it had rolled! Tracing your steps and thinking logically really can work. Your lovely pen can be lurking in the oddest places. Good luck!
I lost my Cobalt Pilot RazerPoint II once... After searching in the office and surreptitiously checking other co-workers desks, it started to haunt my dreams. I would see a phantasmagorical echo of my cherished writing implement in every pen I looked at. My OCD and paranoia formed a dangerous piston like machination in my soul, creating an insatiable desire, no, a physical need to recover what was lost. I stayed late at work to hunt though co-workers desks and lockers, casually attempting to pick their pockets when in conversation. It consumed me. Eventually, I held back my obsession and bought six more of the same kind so I'd never lose them again, but when I held them in my hand, they felt like lies. The words they created were half as beautiful, more Crayola Blue then Prismacolor Cobalt... In the weeks following, I lost several as my mental condition slipped from what I would consider healthy. But joy, I recovered them! And as my head span from this accomplishment, a bitter bile rose in my throat... Which pens were which? Had I recovered the original, or a fake, would I ever be able to know? I quit my job and moved, and started seeing a shrink. I'm just blessed to have a wife who supports me through all this. I now have a form excluding me from any task which involves blue pens (I keep it in my wallet), my therapist helped me get it. It's been about a year or so now, and it still haunts me from time to time, but please, learn from my mistake: don't look for it, just go to a therapist and move on.
I lost my pen at school after my english lesson and i think my friend took it because the last time I saw it was when she asked me whether she could have a look at the pen. The pen is my favourite and my grandma gave me it. I am panicking so much and I do not know what to do. Please help!
I bought a pen just day-before yesterday and started using it in my examination today. I asked for a rough sheet from the invigilator, and when i went to do calculations on it, the pen had disappeared straight from my desk.
My daughter "lost" her MontBlanc ballpoint yesterday, and was becoming quite upset over the prospect of never seeing it again.
Today, I googled "lost pen" and found your excellent article, which I read to her in full. Immediately after I had finished, she reached into the pocket of her coat draped over the back of a chair, and... produced her pen.
We've all had this happen before. Some more often than others. You reach for your trusty pen in your pocket/desk drawer/briefcase/purse and, to your dismay, IT ISN'T THERE!
Before you know it, panic sets in, sweat starts to bead on your brow and wild accusations are being thrown out like daggers to coworkers and family members. You've lost, or as I like to put it "temporarily misplaced" your pen. To prevent also losing your mind, take a deep breath and follow these five tips to search for your MIA writing instrument in an efficient and cool-headed manner.
no my pen is lost and i will cry.
ReplyDeletei borrowed a friends pen and took it home with me after school on the friday and was using it do my homework on the sunday i had it but then my mum told me to sweep the kitchen so i did my pen wss by the computer but then my brother took the computer away into the other room and i asked him but he doesnt know where it is and its still the sunday and i havent found it it is sooooo sad !!!! please god help me find it !
ReplyDeleteLost a beautiful Montblanc Meisterstuck that's been with me for 20 years. Trying hard to find it, but I don't think I will because the housekeeper has vacuumed twice since then.
ReplyDeletei borrowed a friends pen and took it home with me after school on the friday and was using it do my homework on the sunday i had it but then my mum told me to sweep the kitchen so i did my pen wss by the computer but then my brother took the computer away into the other room and i asked him but he doesnt know where it is and its still the sunday and i havent found it it is sooooo sad !!!! please god help me find it !
ReplyDeleteMy pen which i bought day before yesterday is lost? what do i do now.i tried everything you have told.but no luck:(
ReplyDeleteoh the sadness after losing a PEN :P
ReplyDeleteMy lovely pitt pen of two months has run away, just last night. My heart is breaking with worry, it was last seen in my hand. Oh god, I feel sick. What if it's been sold into the nib trade like on Taken? What if it's never coming back? The paper was just a little bit damp on the corner, I swear! I didn't even see the wet spot, please come back baby... I miss you so much. Without you all I have is this bic ballpoint, don't leave me like this! It's because I used a fountain pen that one time isn't it? I swear, there's nothing going on! It was only a doodle! It was horrible, anyway, that pen's useless, all run out of ink and everything. You're the best, I can't believe I even thought it would be fun to use a fountain pen! I was so stupid, it's not you babe, it's me. Just come home already! You know what? I don't even care any more. Just, take your cap and leave... I can't have your energy in my space. I just can't. So, goodbye forever.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I still want you back.
My Bamboo Drawing Tablet pen has gone missing and i cant recall where i last had it. What am i to do!?
ReplyDeleteSame, I lost my Huion 610PRO pen and I can't find it anywhere in my room
DeleteSame. I literally did a spring cleaning in all rooms in my house and it just... vanished..
DeleteYeah! I lost my Wacom Intuos pen after a trip to Michigan and I really need it!!
Deletei just lost mine too and i just bought it to,i just turned my room upside down ;-;
Deletei was using mine at school and i think someone took it, what do i do? i really like the pen and it can only be found in japan which is halfway around the world :(
ReplyDeleteI also lost it or someone stole it at School. I got it from China T_T :(
ReplyDeleteOmg mine, too! "Made in China"
Delete^¬^
The first time I lost my pen I waited for about 3 weeks for it to turn up. To console myself I actually went out and bought a nice filigree pen from Campo Marzio. I finally (casually) mentioned it to the new receptionist. She said there was a fountain pen in her pen caddy and I could have it. It was my pen! The second time I had it in the pocket of my jeans. I took my jeans off and heard a thunk. I searched the floor, moved furniture, but no pen. I even called Transit to see if I had dropped in enroute home. After several days of searching, I used steps like you describe and tried to think logically. It finally occurred to me the thunk could be the pen hitting my printer. I looked in the little slot where the paper comes out and there is was - in a very narrow space where it had rolled! Tracing your steps and thinking logically really can work. Your lovely pen can be lurking in the oddest places. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI lost my Cobalt Pilot RazerPoint II once... After searching in the office and surreptitiously checking other co-workers desks, it started to haunt my dreams. I would see a phantasmagorical echo of my cherished writing implement in every pen I looked at. My OCD and paranoia formed a dangerous piston like machination in my soul, creating an insatiable desire, no, a physical need to recover what was lost. I stayed late at work to hunt though co-workers desks and lockers, casually attempting to pick their pockets when in conversation. It consumed me. Eventually, I held back my obsession and bought six more of the same kind so I'd never lose them again, but when I held them in my hand, they felt like lies. The words they created were half as beautiful, more Crayola Blue then Prismacolor Cobalt... In the weeks following, I lost several as my mental condition slipped from what I would consider healthy. But joy, I recovered them! And as my head span from this accomplishment, a bitter bile rose in my throat... Which pens were which? Had I recovered the original, or a fake, would I ever be able to know? I quit my job and moved, and started seeing a shrink. I'm just blessed to have a wife who supports me through all this. I now have a form excluding me from any task which involves blue pens (I keep it in my wallet), my therapist helped me get it. It's been about a year or so now, and it still haunts me from time to time, but please, learn from my mistake: don't look for it, just go to a therapist and move on.
ReplyDeleteI lost my pen at school after my english lesson and i think my friend took it because the last time I saw it was when she asked me whether she could have a look at the pen. The pen is my favourite and my grandma gave me it. I am panicking so much and I do not know what to do. Please help!
ReplyDeleteI bought a pen just day-before yesterday and started using it in my examination today. I asked for a rough sheet from the invigilator, and when i went to do calculations on it, the pen had disappeared straight from my desk.
ReplyDeletelost a hundred dollar pen in school
ReplyDeleteThank you, The Gold Standard.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter "lost" her MontBlanc ballpoint yesterday, and was becoming quite upset over the prospect of never seeing it again.
Today, I googled "lost pen" and found your excellent article, which I read to her in full. Immediately after I had finished, she reached into the pocket of her coat draped over the back of a chair, and... produced her pen.
Thanks again!