What does a 20-cent piece, an Air Pod, a vitamin D capsule, a Matchbox car and a board game counter all have in common?
- They’ve all been found under the couch, along with enough crumbs to make a sandwich.
- They can all disappear in two seconds and take three weeks to find.
- The vacuum cleaner considers every one of them a snack.
- They’re all things you’ll step on barefoot while looking for the AirPod.
- They’ve all been accused of being “the little thing I put right here!”
When something small goes missing
They’re all small, and they’re all easy to drop. Most people can find them again without much trouble. After all, they can’t have landed far away.
But for someone with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), finding one of these things can take minutes—or even hours, depending on the day. There’s little point standing there and looking around. Eventually, you’ll be down on all fours, patting the floor and wondering how a Matchbox car managed to vanish in plain sight.
There are a few ways to make finding things easier when you have RP. My grandson Angus had a solution I hadn’t considered.
Angus has the answer
Angus loves playing with Matchbox cars. Whenever I visit, we get down on our hands and knees on the parquetry floor—easy for Angus, harder for me—and push the little cars around the furniture and up and down toy ramps, making all the appropriate car noises.
When I can’t find my car, which happens a lot, I put my palms on the floor and pat around for it. One day, as I searched, my long fringe fell over my face.
“Nannie Annie,” Angus said seriously, “I know why you can’t see properly.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because you need a haircut.”
If only it were that simple. But you have to love the things that come out of the mouths of babes.
Tips for finding the little things
Seriously, though, these tricks can help:
- Stop moving as soon as you hear something drop. You’ll have a better idea of where to start, and you’re less likely to kick it farther away.
- Search by touch in a pattern. Start near your feet or hands and work outward, one small area at a time. Check under furniture, too.
- Shine a torch across the floor. Light from a low angle may make the object or its shadow easier to spot.
- Use contrast when you can. Try a dark tray for pale game counters or a light mat for dark ones. Vision Australia recommends contrast as a practical aid for low vision.
- Ask someone for specific directions. “Beside your left knee” is much more helpful than “It’s right there!”
And if all else fails, ask a four-year-old. He may find the Matchbox car—or recommend another haircut.
Featured Image: Thanks to Georgi Kalaydzhiev jorok from Unsplash.
