Hey, where's my.... oh, shit.
I have a fear of Leaving Something Behind every time I leave any place that I've been sitting (ew, dude, that's not what I mean). Specifically public places, but sometimes at home too. I've developed it recently - within the last couple of months. It's not one of those crippling paranoid fears, the kind that leave their victims house-ridden, but it is kind of weird and unnecessary. This was not a problem in Houston because I drove everywhere and didn't spend as much time in public, but being that I've recently moved to New York the consequences of Leaving Something Behind have become much greater. The possibility of LSB is especially scary when exiting a subway car, because if you don't get your shit out of there fast, it will go rocketing away from you, off to some other stinky, subterranean terminal that you absolutely CAN NOT get to in time to intercept your lost items.
I've made a habit of looking back at my seat and the area around it, then slinging my backpack around to my front, to check for a) my phone b) my book c) my water bottle and (sometimes) d) my camera. And my water bottle is totally unimportant, right? But I don't want to have to spend a dollar on another bottle when I can just refill this one.
I don't think this fear is problematic right now; I just hope it doesn't evolve into a condition of compulsivities that force me to collect all lost skin cells, hairs, and cigarette ashes before leaving a park bench.
I've made a habit of looking back at my seat and the area around it, then slinging my backpack around to my front, to check for a) my phone b) my book c) my water bottle and (sometimes) d) my camera. And my water bottle is totally unimportant, right? But I don't want to have to spend a dollar on another bottle when I can just refill this one.
I don't think this fear is problematic right now; I just hope it doesn't evolve into a condition of compulsivities that force me to collect all lost skin cells, hairs, and cigarette ashes before leaving a park bench.